What Are the Dangers of Head Injuries?

Even an apparently minor head injury can lead to dangerous complications. Whether the injury is closed or leaves an open wound, head trauma can lead to debilitating mental and physical conditions which may take days or weeks to surface. A person traumatized from a head injury who isn't aware of the potential complications may not recognize the severity of their condition when they experience symptoms.

Post-Concussion Syndrome

• Concussions are rarely life-threatening, but their side effects are often painful and debilitating. People often have difficulty thinking clearly and experience persistent headaches and nausea following a concussion. While most concussion symptoms abate in a few days, post-concussion syndrome is always a danger regardless of the head injury's severity and symptoms, including headaches and dizziness can linger for months.

Seizures

• Head injury victims may suffer seizures three months or more after their head injury, though seizures occasionally occur immediately after the trauma. People who experience delayed seizures have an increased risk of developing epilepsy.

Mental Impairment

• Deterioration of mental faculties is common after a severe head injury. Short-term amnesia and disorientation are the most common side effects, though the danger of permanent cognitive impairment exists. Possible complications include degraded reasoning, memory, and speech capabilities along with emotional instability.

Bacterial Meningitis

• A head injury that results in an open wound puts the victim in danger of infection. When the brain is exposed to bacterial infection, meningitis, an inflammation of the brain's membrane, can result. Bacterial meningitis can lead to death or irreversible brain damage if it's not treated immediately. Some forms of bacterial meningitis are contagious.

Comas

• A person rendered unconscious following a head injury is in danger of lapsing into a coma. Coma patients often regain consciousness after a few days or weeks, but there's no guarantee of recovery. A comatose person may enter a persistent vegetative state in which their vital organs function, but their cognitive activity ceases and they're no longer aware of their surroundings.

Alzheimer's Disease

• Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have linked severe head trauma with increased risk of developing Alzheimer's. Head trauma triggers increased manufacture of beta-secretase proteins, which form the brain plaque connected to the onset of Alzheimer's.

Nerve Damage

• Victims of head injuries are in danger of sustaining nerve damage, resulting in full or partial paralysis of the facial muscles as well as vision problems including double vision, extreme sensitivity to light, and blindness. People who receive immediate medical treatment for nerve damage have the best chance of recovery, but the condition is difficult to reverse and is often permanent.