What is brain injury?

What is brain injury?

An acquired brain injury (ABI) is a condition in which the brain gets injured since birth, either from an accident, assault, disease or medical complication. It is often shortened to simply 'brain injury'. 

There are two types of brain injury: traumatic brain injury and non-traumatic brain injury.

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is when the brain gets injured following injury (trauma) to the head. Common causes include a road traffic collision, a fall, an assault or an accident, including sporting accidents.

Non-traumatic brain injuries are diseases, illnesses or medical complications that affect the brain. Common non-traumatic types of brain injury include:

• Brain aneurysm

• Brain haemorrhage

• Brain tumour

• Carbon monoxide poisoning

• Encephalitis

• Hypoxic/anoxic brain injury (caused a reduction or loss of oxygen to the brain)

• Meningitis

• Stroke

Find out more about these and other common types of brain injury on Types of brain injury.

What happens when someone has a brain injury?

Brain injuries often need to be treated in hospital, followed by a period of rehabilitation and ongoing care. More information on these stages is available on Treatment and rehabilitation. 

The road to recovery can be long and challenging, for both the person with the brain injury and their loved ones. There may be long-term effects that the brain injury survivor needs to learn to manage, such as learning to use coping strategies or making various adjustments. Find out more about the various effects of brain injury and guidance on how to cope on Living with brain injury. 

People caring for a brain injury survivor often have to make considerable adjustments to their life as well to cope with their new caring responsibilities. More information on caring is available on Looking after someone with a brain injury.

We know that, for many, brain injury can be a life-changing condition causing a wide range of issues. We also know here at Headway that there is life after brain injury, and we are here to help with each step of your journey. Visit Supporting you to find out more about the support we can offer to help improve your life after brain injury.

What are the effects of brain injury?

The brain is responsible for our every thought, feeling and action, and as such, the effects of brain injury can be many and varied - depending on the type, location and extent of the injury.

Many of the effects of brain injury are ‘hidden’ i.e., they cannot be seen and are, therefore, not easily recognised or understood by others. For these reasons, brain injury is often called a ‘hidden disability’.

The effects of brain injury can further impact relationships, employment, and practical skills such as driving or activities of daily living (washing, dressing, preparing a meal etc).

No two experiences of brain injury are the same; however, some effects of brain injury are more common than others, such as memory problems and fatigue.

Living with the effects of brain injury can cause many people to feel like they are ‘living life in the slow lane’ and this can be upsetting or difficult to adjust to. Quality of life or sense of identity can be affected, and many people report feeling like a different person after their injury.

The effects of brain injury can sometimes improve over time, especially with rehabilitation and access to appropriate support. However, some effects may be life-long and require adjustments or equipment to cope.

More information on the effects and impacts of brain injury, including guidance on how to cope and getting professional support, is available on Living with brain injury. 

How common is brain injury?

Every 90 seconds, someone in the UK is admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of brain injury. That equates to 919 admissions per day. 

Using hospital admissions statistics, Headway compiled a dataset on all acquired brain injury (ABI) related hospital admissions in the UK. These include non-superficial head injuries, strokes, brain tumours, encephalitis, and a variety of additional conditions. Key statistics include the following:

• There were 335,409 UK hospital admissions for acquired brain injury (ABI) in 2023-24.
  

• There were approximately 919 ABI UK hospital admissions per day in 2023-24. This equates to one every 90 seconds.
  

• There were 123,969 UK hospital admissions for head injury in 2023-24. This equates to one every four minutes.
  

• Males were 1.5x more likely than females to be admitted to a UK hospital for a head injury in 2023-24.
  

• There were 143,446 UK hospital admissions for stroke in 2023-24. That equates to one every four minutes.
  

• There were 42,892 UK hospital admissions for brain tumours in 2023-24.