Head Injury In Children

What Is It?

Trauma to the head can cause different medical and surgical problems, ranging from mild to severe. Each year, childhood head injuries result in tens of thousands of emergency room visits and hospitalizations in the United States. Although 90 percent of all childhood head injuries are minor, thousands of children die and many more develop permanent disabilities each year from head trauma.

The most common causes of childhood head injuries in the United States are motor vehicle accidents, falls, assaults, bicycle accidents and trauma related to sports. In infants younger than 1 year old, most serious head injuries are related to child abuse.