TUESDAY, March 4, 2014 (HealthDay News) – Even if they have no symptoms, military veterans exposed to blasts from bombs, grenades and other devices may still have brain damage, a new study finds.
Researchers divided 45 U.S. veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars into three groups: those who’d been exposed to blasts and had symptoms of traumatic brain injury; those who’d been exposed to blasts and had no symptoms of traumatic brain injury; and those with no blast exposure.
The participants underwent scans to look for damage in the brain’s white matter, as well as tests to assess their mental abilities. Veterans who were exposed to blasts but had no symptoms had brain damage similar to those with symptoms of traumatic brain injury, the researchers found.
They said their findings, published March 3 in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, suggest that a lack of symptoms after exposure to a blast may not indicate the extent of brain damage.
“Similar to sports injuries, people near an explosion assume that if they don’t have clear symptoms – losing consciousness, blurred vision, headaches – they haven’t had injury to the brain,” study senior author Dr. Rajendra Morey, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, N.C., said in a Duke news release
“Our findings are important because they’re showing that even if you don’t have symptoms, there may still be damage,” Morey, a psychiatrist at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, explained in the news release.
The results show that doctors treating veterans need to take into account a patient’s exposure to blasts, even among those who have no symptoms of traumatic brain injury, the study authors said. They suggested that brain scans could help detect injury in patients with no symptoms.
A concussion is the mildest form of traumatic brain injury.
The researchers also noted that their findings are preliminary and need to be replicated in a larger study.
More information
The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center has more about blast-related brain injuries.
SOURCE: Duke Medicine, news release, March 3, 2014
Blast Injuries: Vets Brain Injury Center:
The vast majority of people who sustain a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)/concussion recover completely with little or no intervention.
After an injury event, and once they have had a medical evaluation service members may be given a short period of time to rest, allowing the brain time to heal. Rest should include physical as well as mental work. It also is important to avoid activities that would put the brain at risk for a second injury before the brain has been given adequate time to heal.
Service members should be able to return to duty when they are free of symptoms and have finished their recovery period, but recovery is different for each person and depends on the nature and severity of the injury. A medical provider will determine when a service member should return to duty. Going back to work too soon may cause symptoms to recur or worsen.
Why does concussion affect returning to duty?
Symptoms after a concussion can affect performance and place the service member or their unit in danger.
These temporary symptoms resolve faster when the brain gets rest, so it is important to take time to recover.
If the service member sustains another concussion before healing from the first one, his or her recovery might take longer.
What can service members do to help themselves return to duty faster?
Maximize downtime and rest.
Sleep is key to recovery. Get six to eight hours of sleep.
Protect themselves from another concussion by avoiding contact sports, combatives, etc.
Let others know that they have had a concussion so they can watch out for them.
Drink plenty of water.
Follow their medical provider’s instructions and be honest about their symptoms.
Avoid alcohol and drug use. (Alcohol and drug use significantly slow down recovery).
Avoid caffeine, energy drinks and other “energy-enhancing” products that might interfere with sleep.
Don’t take any medications, including over-the-counter medications, unless their medical provider instructs them to.
Avoid sleeping aids and sedatives unless their provider advises them to take them.
Don’t do physical work, heavy lifting or exercise until cleared by their medical provider.
Limit activities that require intense concentration, such as writing reports or playing video games.
http://dvbic.dcoe.mil/about-traumatic-brain-injury/article/blast-injuries