Jaundice Treatment Protects Infants From Severe Brain Injuries

The New England Journal of Medicine recently reported in its October issue that if an infant is given an aggressive jaundice treatment early on, that infant will be less likely to suffer from a brain injury or neuro-developmental issues in the future, according to a study conducted by the University of Texas Medical School.

The study used information for approximately 1,974 infants who were put into one of two groups of either infants who received an early, aggressive treatment of phototherapy when their bilirubin levels reached 5 milligrams (mg)/dL and infants who received a conservative treatment of phototherapy for bilirubin levels reaching 8 mg/dL.

Throughout the study as well as at the beginning, the infants were tested on the following:

* blindness

* hearing loss

* moderate or severe cerebral palsy

* cognitive development

* neurodevelopmental impairment

The study then compared the proportion of infants who had neuro-developmental impairment and found that those infants with the "aggressive treatment group were less likely to have neuro-developmental impairment than were infants in the conservative treatment group," according to the study.

The results of this study may have led to potential development of a new preventive brain injury treatments and the authors of the research explained that while, "bilirubin can be toxic, it is also an antioxidant, and possibly could protect against the oxygen damage from chemical reactions occurring in the body or after an injury." Researchers will likely continue to study this methods and potentially turn it into a treatment someday, if the results remain similar and helpful to TBI patients.

What is TBI?

Millions of Americans suffer from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) annually - approximately 1.5 million U.S. citizens annually, which , according to the National Brain Injury Research Treatment and Training Foundation (NBIRTT) equals approximately one new TBI every 21 seconds. Additionally, the NBIRTT estimates that approximately $56.3 billion dollars are spent annually on costs associated with treating and diagnosing traumatic brain injury.

The NBIRTT describes the following as several of the most prominent reasons that a TBI occurs as well as how much of the time these do occur:

* falls - 28 percent

* motor vehicle traffic accidents - 20 percent

* struck by or against something - 19 percent

* assault - 11 percent

* unknown reasons - 9 percent

* other reasons - 7 percent

* non-motor vehicle accident (including riding bicycle) - 3 percent

* other transportation methods - 2 percent

* suicide - 1 percent

TBI Signs, Symptoms

There are a vast array of brain injury signs and symptoms, but the most common include the following, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (CDC):

* continued headaches or neck pain

* difficulties in remembering, making decisions or concentrating

* becoming confused or lost easily

* lethargic feelings, unmotivated

* slowness in thinking, acting, reading and speaking

* mood changes

* sleep pattern changes

* lightheadedness, dizziness, loss of balance

* nausea

* ringing in the ears

* increased sensitivity to light, sound, distractions

* loss of sense of smell or taste

* blurred vision, loss of vision

Treating A Brain Injury

It is important that victims of TBI speak to an experienced brain injury physician, such as a neurologist or neuropsychologist, to ensure top quality care for their injury. For those who have suffered from TBI, it may be necessary to locate a personal injury lawyer who can offer free legal advice, consultation as to developing a traumatic brain injury lawsuit.