What is the Difference Between Acquired Brain Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury

The key difference between acquired brain injury and traumatic brain injury is that acquired brain injury occurs due to injuries to the brain caused by either an external force or as a result of stroke or other illnesses that affect the brain, while traumatic brain injury is caused by an external force.

Brain injury can be either hereditary or non-hereditary. A brain injury that is not hereditary is called an acquired brain injury. Acquired brain injury occurs after birth. There are two types of acquired brain injury; they are traumatic and non-traumatic brain injury.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Acquired Brain Injury
3. What is Traumatic Brain Injury
4. Similarities – Acquired Brain Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury
5. Acquired Brain Injury vs Traumatic Brain Injury in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Acquired Brain Injury vs Traumatic Brain Injury

What is Acquired Brain Injury?

Acquired brain injury is a brain injury that occurs due to injuries to the brain. Injuries are caused by either an external force or as a result of stroke or other illnesses that affect the brain. The causes of acquired brain injury may include external forces that cause trauma, stroke, brain tumor, poisoning, infections (meningitis) and other diseases, near drowning or other anoxic episodes, and alcohol and drug abuse. The signs and symptoms of acquired brain injury are epilepsy, impaired vision, touch, and smell, impaired physical abilities such as weakness, tremor, or spasticity, impaired ability to think and learn such as forgetfulness, poor attention, short-tempered, lethargy, depression, and impaired communication abilities like slow or slurred speech and difficulty following a conversation.

Moreover, acquired brain injury can be diagnosed through physical signs, laboratory tests, and brain scans through MRI. Treatment options for acquired brain injury include management of the underlying conditions, rehabilitation (physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language therapy, psychological therapy, and music therapy), and respective surgeries.

What is Traumatic Brain Injury?

Traumatic brain injury is normally defined as an alteration in brain function that is caused due to an external force. Traumatic brain injury can be either penetrating or non-penetrating. The causes of traumatic brain injury may include falls, assaults, motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries, violence, explosive blasts, and other combat injuries. The signs and symptoms of this condition may include headache, nausea, vomiting, fatigue or drowsiness, problems with speech, dizziness or loss of balance, sensory problems (blurred vision, ringing in tears, a bad test in the mouth, and changes in the smell), sensitivity to light, loss of consciousness, memory or concentration problems, mood changes, depression or anxiety, difficulty in speech, sleeping more than usual, convulsions or seizures, coma, and other diseases of consciousness.

Traumatic brain injury can be diagnosed through physical signs, Glasgow coma scale, CT scan, MRI, and intracranial pressure monitor. Furthermore, treatment options for traumatic brain injury include rest and over-the-counter pain relievers, supplying oxygen, adequate blood supply, maintaining blood pressure, medications (anti-seizure drugs, coma-inducing drugs, and diuretics), surgery (removing clotted blood, repairing skull fractures, bleeding the brain and opening a window in the skull), and rehabilitation (psychological therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech, and language therapy).

What are the Similarities Between Acquired Brain Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury?

• Acquired brain injury and traumatic brain injury are interconnected to each other.
• Traumatic brain injury is a type of acquired brain injury.
• Both brain injuries are non-hereditary.
• Both can be caused by external forces.
• They have similar symptoms, such as sensory problems, sensitivities, depression, anxiety, etc.
• Both brain injuries can be diagnosed through physical signs and brain scans.
• They can be treated through medicines and rehabilitation.

What is the Difference Between Acquired Brain Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury?

Acquired brain injury is a brain injury occurring due to injuries caused by either an external force or as a result of a stroke or other illnesses affecting the brain, while traumatic brain injury is a brain injury caused by an external force. Thus, this is the key difference between acquired brain injury and traumatic brain injury.

The below infographic presents the differences between acquired brain injury and traumatic brain injury in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Acquired Brain Injury vs Traumatic Brain Injury

Acquired brain injury and traumatic brain injury are both interconnected to each other. Traumatic brain injury is a type of acquired brain injury. However, acquired brain injury is a brain injury that occurs due to injuries to the brain caused by either an external force or as a result of a stroke or other illnesses that affect the brain. Traumatic brain injury is a brain injury caused by an external force. So, this is the key difference between acquired brain injury and traumatic brain injury.

Reference:

1.  “Acquired Brain Injury.” Better Health Channel, Department of Health & Human Services.
2. “Traumatic Brain Injury / Concussion.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Brain injury with herniation MRI” By Rehman T, Ali R, Tawil I, Yonas H – Rehman T, Ali R, Tawil I, Yonas H (2008). “Rapid progression of traumatic bifrontal contusions to transtentorial herniation: A case report.” Cases journal 1 (1): 203. doi:10.1186/1757-1626-1-203. PMID 18831756.  (CC BY 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Concussion Anatomy” By Max Andrews – Own work. This file was derived from: Concussion mechanics.svg (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia