Iraq brain injuries challenge troops, doctors
The war in Iraq is not over, but one legacy is already here in this city and others across America: an epidemic of brain-damaged soldiers.
As more troops return from the war, brain injuries are a growing burden -- for them, for the few programs to treat them, and for taxpayers who pay for their care and disability if they cannot hold jobs.
Most TBIs are mild, and most of these patients recover within a year. But one-fifth of the troops with these mild injuries will have prolonged or lifelong symptoms and need continuing care, the military estimates. Nearly all of the moderate and severe ones will, too.
Though the full number of those suffering from TBI is still unknown, the problem is straining the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Until now, "they were dealing with a cohort of aging veterans with diabetes, heart disease, lung disease," said Dr. Jeffrey Drazen, editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine and a VA adviser.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/09/10....ap/index.html
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