Traumatic brain injuries in national spotlight after troops injured in attack
March 03, 2020
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are devastating to those who experience them and too common. They are considered the “signature injury” of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Since 2000, 414,000 service men and women have suffered from TBIs.
Earlier this year, Iran targeted the al-Asad air base in Iraq in a retaliatory missile attack. Although it was initially reported that there were no casualties or serious injuries, 109 soldiers were subsequently diagnosed with TBIs.
The Pentagon classifies traumatic brain injuries as mild, moderate, severe or penetrating. All of those stemming from the attack on al-Asad were mild, as most TBIs are. Despite the pervasiveness of brain injuries, they have proven difficult to recognize and diagnose with no reliable field test for them in use by the military.
Brain injuries are known as “silent injuries.” A blast like the one in al-Asad can easily cause injury. Waves of pressure are incredibly dangerous, but they cause less debris and shrapnel than smaller explosives like roadside bombs.
Unlike wounds that are immediately visible, TBIs often have no visible signs. Symptoms of a TBI may be obscured by the rush of adrenaline that frequently comes along with a dangerous situation. Symptoms may develop over time, making them easy to miss. Moreover, soldiers often minimize symptoms of a TBI.
The immediate signs of TBI are headaches, dizziness, confusion and nausea. Long term effects include chronic headaches, memory problems, emotional and mood issues, sleep problems and related conditions such as addiction, depression, anxiety and degenerative brain diseases.
The troops injured in the al-Asad attack experienced the delay in symptoms, prompting military medical professionals to rescreen everyone who had been involved. This caused the delay in accurate reporting of injuries caused by the attack.