Traumatic brain injury 'an invisible wound of Afghanistan and Iraq wars'RSS Feed

Traumatic brain injury has been described as an "invisible wound" of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That's according to a report by Bob Brewin for nextgov.com, in which he states that the US Defense Department is creating a database to track the problem, with a view to improving diagnosis and treatment.

Mr Brewin reports that under new guidelines revealed by vice-admiral Adam Robinson, the navy surgeon general, marines who have suffered three concussions from blasts will undergo a neurological examination, whether or not they appear to have suffered brain damage.

Commander Joseph Surette added that the new database will assist in tracking such incidents.

The US Department of Defense website recently reported that scientists and doctors working for the US military have developed new methods of detecting traumatic brain injuries more quickly than with existing techniques.

"We have changed from a symptom-based approach such as having a headache, to an incident-based approach. If you have an injury event that could cause a concussion, it becomes mandatory to get a medical evaluation," explained Kathy Helmick, director of the TBI Clinical Standards of Care Directorate at DCoE, in a Dot Mil Docs interview.

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