Medical Conditions

Overview

Most head injuries to children are minor. Brain injury, on the other hand, is a serious condition that requires prompt medical attention.

Brain injury occurs when a child's normal brain function is temporarily interrupted by physical trauma to the head, disease, poisoning, metabolic problems or lack of oxygen to the brain. A brain injury in which the skull is not broken is called a concussion or closed head injury. In other cases the skull may be fractured, or penetrated by an object, such as a bullet.

The brain is very complicated, so symptoms of brain injury differ, depending upon the part of the brain that's been injured. Injury may be limited to a small area of the brain, or diffuse, which means injury is spread throughout. Some symptoms may appear right away, while others may not show up for days or weeks. The effects of brain injury may be temporary or permanent.

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