Chronic diseases are defined broadly as conditions that last one year or more and require ongoing medical attention or limit activities of daily living or both. Chronic diseases include things such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes; it should include brain injury.2
There have been a number of consensus statements and articles that have discussed this idea over the last 15 years; some of the more well-known are:
- Brain Injury Association of America White Paper, 2009: Conceptualizing Brain Injury as a Chronic Disease. TBI is not an event nor the final outcome; acute and chronic TBI are not static. It impacts multiple organ systems, is disease-causative, and is disease-accelerative. Read it at https://www.biausa.org/downloads/brain-injury/Brain%20Injury%20As%20A%20Chronic%20Disease%2003%202009.pdf
- 2012 Galveston Brain Injury Conference: Injury to the brain can evolve into chronic brain injury (CBI), which impairs the brain and other organ systems and may persist or progress over an individual’s life span. Read more https://journals.lww.com/headtraumarehab/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2013&issue=11000&article=00011&type=Fulltext
- The Lancet, 2023: Evidence from the TBI Model Systems comprehensively illustrates TBI as a chronic disease characterized by enduring functional impairment, cognitive deficits, comorbid health conditions, and psychosocial challenges across the lifespan. Read it at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1474442223000650
As part of the efforts to reauthorize the TBI Act, advocates are seeking to have brain injury designated as a chronic condition in hopes of laying the groundwork so the Centers for Disease Control and the Center for Medicaid Services can do the same. Chronic diseases get enhanced prevention, surveillance, healthcare interventions, and community support that would be of tremendous benefit to the brain injury community.
A brain injury can accelerate the development of chronic conditions. If you’ve had a brain injury because of another’s negligence, it’s important to understand your risks and your rights. The experienced personal injury lawyers with Cantor Grana Buckner Bucci can help you understand your options for compensation; call us.
