Even a head injury diagnosed as a mild TBI can have long-term effects. Because a minor TBI involves less-serious initial symptoms than a severe TBI, doctors in hospital emergency rooms, where many mild TBIs are first diagnosed and treated, are sometimes inclined to take a lack of immediate symptoms at face value and not pursue further treatment.
Even so, a mild TBI that yields a normal brain scan can nonetheless eventually cause lasting health problems if not properly treated, including persistent headaches, loss of memory, difficulty concentrating or paying attention for extended periods, shifting moods, or an inability to focus on complicated issues. Studies indicate that about 15 percent of those suffering mild TBIs have many of these continuing symptoms that can prove debilitating for extended periods of time.
Failure to obtain proper treatment at the time of the injury can exacerbate this effect, and a continued lack of treatment can make the symptoms difficult or even impossible to treat later on if doctors fail to make the connection between the symptoms and the initial TBI.
