ADDRESS

S2-109 Elm Street
Sudbury, ON, P3C 1T4

Causes of ABI

Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) is any type of sudden injury that causes temporary or permanent damage to the brain. ABI can be divided into two categories:

Traumatic: resulting from an external force applied to the head/brain (e.g., damage that is associated with some kind of trauma to the head, such as a concussion, a fall, or a motor vehicle collision is known as a traumatic brain injury.)

Non-Traumatic: resulting from an internal source that inflicts injury to the brain (e.g., anoxia [near drowning], toxicity, infection, or cerebral vascular accident [stroke]).

The following chart provides examples of the most common causes of ABI.

Traumatic
Blow to the head – Motor vehicle accidents
– Assault with an object
– Shaken baby syndrome
Falling or tumbling – Falling off a bicycle, tree, climbing equipment or furniture
– Sports Injuries
Non-Traumatic
Anoxic injuries (Lack of oxygen to the brain) – Near drowning
– Suffocation
– Choking
Vascular injuries
(Disruption in blood supply to the brain)
– Stroke (blocked blood vessel in the brain)
– Aneurysm (broken blood vessel in the brain)
Inhalation of ingestion of toxic substances – Sniffing glue, paint, or carbon monoxide
– Drug use
Infectious diseases – Meningitis
– Encephalitis
All information on this page is copied from Educating Educators About ABI Resource Book
Produced by: Brock University & the Ontario Brain Injury Association
Funded by: Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation