Pentagon holds brain injury data

I guess since im posting this i should be label a liberal, but my cousin who still suffers from his injuries due to a roadside bomb would disagree..We often overlook this area

Pentagon holds brain injury data
Posted 6/7/2006 10:56 PM ET
By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY
The Pentagon is refusing to release data on how many soldiers have suffered brain injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan. It says disclosing the results would put the lives of those fighting at risk.

The data come from screenings of 1,587 soldiers at Fort Bragg in North Carolina and 9,000 at Fort Carson in Colorado. Army Medical Command spokesman Jaime Cavazos said Wednesday that the results of the tests represent "information the enemy could use to potentially make soldiers more vulnerable to harm." He declined to elaborate.

FROM MILD TO SEVERE: Brain injuries add up http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/...n-damage_x.htm

Pentagon scientists and other health officials have already made public similar data from other installations. Those results show that about 10% of combat troops â?? and 20% in front-line infantry units â?? suffered concussions during their tours. The injuries frequently go undiagnosed; multiple concussions can lead to permanent brain damage.

The screening is done with a questionnaire prepared by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, a research arm of the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments. The questionnaire is used at four military bases, and center director Deborah Warden has urged that it be used throughout the military. So far, the Pentagon has declined to do so because it questions whether troops can accurately answer the questions in the screening.
Wonder why they would do that

Naval Medical Center San Diego, which has been screening Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton for two years â?? and, more recently, soldiers from the Army's Fort Irwin â?? released data this week.

Those data show that 10% of 7,909 Marines with the 1st Marine Division suffered brain injuries. Researchers tried to follow up with 500 Marines who suffered concussions. They reached 161 of them and found that 83% were still suffering symptoms on average 10 months after the injury.

At Fort Irwin, 1,490 soldiers were screened, and almost 12% suffered concussions during their combat tours.

Troops risk undetected brain injury
Updated 6/7/2006 11:30 PM ET
Army Specialist Allan Beck is treated at Balad Air Force Theater Hospital, the busiest military hospital in Iraq. Researchers found that about 20% of troops in front-line infantry units suffer from brain injuries during combat.

Army Specialist Allan Beck is treated at Balad Air Force Theater Hospital, the busiest military hospital in Iraq. Researchers found that about 20% of troops in front-line infantry units suffer from brain injuries during combat.

WHAT IS A CONCUSSION?

Concussions occur when a blow to the head jars the brain, triggering disorientation and sometimes more severe effects. Although often written-off as minor nuisances, the injuries can have serious, long-term consequences.

Symptoms after a blow to the head: Possible loss of consciousness, trouble remembering things before and after the injury, confusion, dizziness, vertigo, lightheadedness, blurred or double vision and ringing in the ears.

Different levels of severity: Physicians determine a concussion's severity by reviewing the length of time a person is disoriented, length of unconsciousness and amount of memory loss.

â?¢ Mild: Characterized by confusion and no loss of consciousness. Symptoms disappear in less than 15 minutes.
â?¢ Moderate: Confusion that lasts more than 15 minutes and loss of consciousness for less than five minutes.
â?¢ Severe: Loss of consciousness for more than five minutes. Symptoms, including amnesia, persist for more than 24 hours.

Research by Shawn Brouwer, USA TODAY
By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY
Thousands of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan may be risking permanent brain damage by returning to combat with relatively minor but undiagnosed concussions, often caused by bomb blasts, military researchers say.

Doctors say they are only now understanding the scope of the problem. Researchers screening returning soldiers and Marines at four military bases found that about 10% suffered at least a minor brain injury during combat. About 20% of troops in front-line infantry units suffered such injuries.

The injuries frequently go undiagnosed because troops have no visible wounds or may not know they suffered a concussion, doctors say. Medics and field doctors often aren't aware of what happened during fighting.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/...age-main_x.htm

I offer my sincere apologies for your cousin's injuries. I also offer my gratitude for fighting a war I believe in.

I understand and agree with your information relating to head injuries. I don't believe there is a cover-up.

Dude that happens all the time they go through a roadside bomb they look ok but the concussion fuck whats that called blast wave injures their brain they might not have any symptoms untill they get home.

I offer my sincere thanks to your young injured cousin and his fellow soldiers alike and to all the precious young men and women who've suffered these awful injuries in fighting for our country. I may not be a fan of this war, but that doesn't mean I'm not a fan of the warriors themselves. I very much appreciate the work our military does and I admire their bravery and patriotism.