Children who suffer traumatic brain injury in car accidents, falls, and other accidents may face a lifetime of difficulties and permanent disabilities, a pediatric study has found.

•   A new study shows that children who suffer traumatic brain injuries face a lifetime of obstacles and even permanet disability.

•   Researchers found that children who suffered severe injury had a lower quality of life than cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

•   The study underscores the need for preventive measures, from bicycle helmets to changes in football rules.

The study, which was published in the November issue of Pediatrics, found that brain injuries can cause “substantial long-term reduction” in quality of life for children, from communication deficits to trouble with daily self-care.

Researchers followed 729 children under 18 years old who had been treated for brain injuries — mostly as a result of falls and car crashes – at emergency rooms in Seattle and Philadelphia between 2007 and 2008.

About 85 percent of the children had suffered mild brain trauma. Although some of those did have problems three months after their initial injury, the majority did not suffer lasting loss of social and daily life activities.

But those who had suffered mild trauma accompanied by a brain hemorrhage experienced persistent difficulties — as did virtually all of the children with moderate and severe trauma. After two years, they still had difficulties in day-to-day life, school activities and sports.

The children who suffered major brain trauma had a lower quality of life than children undergoing active treatment for cancer, researchers said.

Study author Dr. Frederick Rivara, professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Public Health in Seattle, said children who still experience significant problems after two years are unlikely to see great improvement.

Boys were more than twice as likely as girls to sustain head injuries, the study showed. The youngest (under 4 years old) and the oldest (15 to 17 years) were most likely to sustain moderate to severe injuries. More than half of the  severe injuries were suffered by 10- to 17- year-olds.  That’s probably because children in that age group are actively involved in playing sports at school, said Dr. Gail L. Rosseau, a neurosurgeon at NorthShore University Health System in Chicago.

Rousseau and Rivara  both believe the study underscores the need to take steps to prevent head injuries in children.

Rivara said many of these injuries could be prevented by wearing bicycle helmets, making sure that children wear securely fastened seat belts, and installing gates on stairways. He also said schools also should consider modifying football rules.

Rousseau agreed about football rules. She said more states should pass return-to-play laws like Washington’s Zachery Lystedt law — the strictest in the nation — which requires that players under age 18 get medical clearance before returning to play if they show any signs of head injury. Those signs include a variety of symptoms, from lethargy, headaches and stomach aches to just “not feeling well.”  The law was named after a high school student who sustained permanent brain damage while playing football.

“Professional football has changed some rules to try and decrease the incidence of concussions, and high schools need to look at that as well,” Rivara said.

California Brain Injury Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented traumatic brain injury victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.