Head Injuries and Headaches common among Iraq Veterans

Below is a recap on this article I found on Science Daily. As it turns out, problems for Iraq and Afghanistan are bigger than many realize.

Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, several soldiers have reported headaches as a result of mild head trauma or a blast exposure. This, according to a study that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle.

The study was conducted at Fort Lewis, Washington and involved nearly 1000 U.S. Army soldiers returning from Iraq or Afghanistan in 2008. All of these Army veterans experience a head injury or blast exposure while deployed.

The headaches typically started within one week of the injury for 37 percent of the soldiers and within a month for 20 percent. The majority of the soldiers with headaches within one week had migraine-like symptoms and 40 percent reported that the headaches interfered with their ability to do daily activities.

"Mild traumatic brain injury is occurring in 15 to 25 percent of soldiers deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan," said study author Brett J. Theeler, MD, of Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, WA, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. "The associated headaches can be a source of impaired occupational functioning. These findings should alert health care providers, especially those affiliated with the military or veteran health care systems, to the need to identify and properly treat headache among soldiers."

This is just another major issue that our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have to deal with. As a society and culture, we must remain cognizant of the sacrifices our veterans have made and do what we can to help out.