Injuries from accidents are the leading cause of death in individuals from birth to age 45, resulting in more than 56,000 deaths per year. Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) are responsible for the majority of these deaths. One aspect of survivors of TBIs that has been overlooked in determining the outcome of recovery is the gender of the victim. In the United States there are at least 373,000 new cases per year of TBIs that require hospitalization, which is very likely to be a gross underestimate.[1] Survivors of TBIs tend to be young, which means that there is a high lifelong cost of disability. Traumatic brain injury is estimated to create a yearly expenditure of 48.3 billion dollars. Id.
Although most of the residual effects of TBI are gender-neutral, women may present some unique issues with regard to diagnosing and treating TBIs. What little research does exist on gender differences in TBI outcome suggests that women may have more severe complications than men.[2] In addition, the multiple roles that women play in families as wife, mother and daughter may further complicate their recovery.
On average, the overall outcome after a brain injury was found to be worse in women than in men. The reported differences may be in large part due to the following:
1) TBI symptoms may be reported differently by women than men;
2) Women may sustain different types of injuries due to morphological differences or different causes of trauma;
3) Women may have different cognitive abilities than men;
4) Psychosocial factors may be different for women;
5) There may be different functional brain organization;
6) Sex hormones;
7) Finally, different treatments for the TBI may affect men and women differently.
Obtaining the appropriate treatment for your traumatic brain injury in the greater Kansas City area of Missouri, as well as other major cities in Missouri and Kansas, presents another complicating factor for victims and their families. It is almost impossible to know which medical professional from whom to seek treatment. There are few specialists who devote their practice to treating traumatic brain injuries. In fact, many neurologists are not necessarily specialists in this area.
At the Griggs Injury Law firm we have years of experience handling traumatic brain injury cases and helping victims and their families cope with the devastating results of the injuries. Further, Annette Griggs is one of the few female attorneys in the States of Missouri and Kansas who only represents injured victims, including those with brain injuries. Annette Griggs is licensed in Missouri and Kansas and can help victims of personal injuries in the Kansas City metro area and all across the states of Missouri and Kansas and surrounding areas. If you are a woman who has experienced a traumatic brain injury or if you have a female family member who has experienced a TBI, please contact our office for more information. For an appointment, please call 816-474-0202 to speak with Annette Griggs about your case.
[1] . Do Women Fare Worse: A Metaanalysis of Gender Differences in Traumatic Brain Injury Outcome, J. Neurosurg 93:539–545, 2000.
[2] Women and Traumatic Brain Injury, Bell KR, Pepping M., Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am., 2001 Feb; 12(1):169-82.
