The tragic fact is that each year, countless women are involved in car accidents, sports accidents, and other events that lead to traumatic brain injuries. Fortunately, research of the brain and brain injuries/concussions has made substantial gains over the last two decades. Increased awareness among the public could explain, at least in part, why the number of people reporting traumatic brain injuries is increasing each year. Despite this, many areas of traumatic brain injury still need additional research. One of these involves the differences between men and women regarding traumatic brain injuries. Some studies suggest that women have a greater likelihood of experiencing a concussion and might require more time to heal.
How Gender Discrepancies Were Discovered
Scientists who study the brain are researching the different experiences of male and female TBI victims at the International Conference on Concussion in Sport. This recent trend is notable because research involving traumatic brain injuries has traditionally focused on men (e.g., may studies have been conducted on veterans and NFL players). This is true even though data shows that yearly, millions of people of both sexes experience concussions in the United States.
Alarming Statistics About Women and Brain Injuries
Medical professionals and others who rely on research addressing brain injuries help to dictate diagnoses and protocols for concussion treatment. After closely examining research performed by organizations, the researchers discovered that 80.1% of the people studied were male while only 19.9% were female. While researchers expected that a majority of the people studied would be male, they commented they did not expect the population to be so male-dominated.
Even more troubling, almost 50% of the studies conducted did not involve any female patients. One scientist speaking at the International Conference revealed that in response to this discovery, she would promptly begin writing a statement depicting the most current research so suggestions about treatment and diagnosis could be made. This update will hopefully lead to additional research involving both men and women who have suffered brain injuries.
The Reason for the Discrepancy
The imbalance concerning the genders has existed since the origin of scientific research on concussions. A lot of traumatic brain injury data originates from patients who were injured during football and ice hockey matches; both sports are male-dominated. Another factor that led to male-heavy studies is access to research. Professional sports teams and collegiate programs have focused medical teams that make it easier to follow and study concussions incurred by athletes.
Fortunately, this discrepancy among TBI patients in research studies has improved notably over the last decade because researchers have been analyzing groups beyond only male athletes. Researchers now know that females report concussion symptoms more than men following injuries. Additional research, however, is necessary to determine why women report symptoms more often.
Contact an Experienced Accident Attorney
When accidents occur in Kansas and Missouri, victims can find their lives forever changed, and this is especially true for people who have traumatic brain injuries with symptoms that do not resolve. If you or a loved one needs the assistance of an experienced attorney, do not hesitate to contact House Law LLC today for assistance.
Tags: brain injury, personal injury, traumatic brain injury
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