Head Injury in Children

Himabindhu Gude^*
*Correspondence: Himabindhu Gude, Department of Psychology, Child Psychology Unit, KotiWomen’s College, India, Tel: +918143389651, Email:

Head Injury

Head injury is one of the common causes of disability and death in the children. The injury can be as a mild bump, or cut on the head, or bruise (contusion), or it can be from moderate to severe in nature due to a concussion (an injury on head area that causes instant loss of alertness or awareness for a few minutes up to a few hours), deep cut or open wound, skull bone fracture (break in the skull bone), or internal bleeding and brain damage.

Skull bone fractures are of 4 types. They are

• Linear skull fractures

• Depressed skull fractures

• Diastatic skull fractures

• Basilar skull fracture

There are several causes of head injury in children. Common and major injuries are falls, accidents (Either the child is riding as a passenger in the vehicle or struck as a pedestrian), or a child abuse. The head injuries are seen mostly in adolescent population and frequently seen in males than in females.

Symptoms of mild head injury include:

• Swollen, a bump or a bruise in the area

• Superficial cut in the scalp

• Sensitivity to noise and light

• Headache

• Confusion

• Irritability

• Dizziness

• Nausea

• Balancing issue

• Loss of memory or concentration

• Change in sleep patterns

• Blurred vision

• "Tired" eyes

• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)

• Change in taste

• Fatigue

• Symptoms of moderate to severe head injury include

• Severe headache that does not go away

• Repeated vomiting

• Nausea

• Loss of consciousness

• Short term memory loss

• Speech disability

• Difficulty while walking

• Weakness

• Sweating

• Pale in colour

• Seizures

• Changes in behaviour

• Blood draining from nose or ears

• One pupil

• Deep cut in the scalp

• Open wound in the head

• Foreign object penetrating the head

• Coma

• Vegetative state

• Locked-in syndrome

Head injury can be diagnosed by the following tests

• Blood tests

• X-ray

• MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging)

• CAT scan (Computed tomography scan)

• EEG (Electroencephalogram)

• Treatment for head injury are based on the type of injury and severity

• Child age, health condition, and medical history

• Type of head injury

• Tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies

• Extent of the head injury

• Course of expectation of the head injury

• Opinion (Family decision)

• Treatment depends on severity of injuries. It includes the following

• Rest

• Ice

• Ointment

• Adhesive bandage

• Topical antibiotic

• Observation

• Immediate medical attention

• Stitches

• Observation

Moderate sedation or assistance with breathing that would require being placed on a breathing machine, also called a mechanical ventilator or mechanical respirator

• Diagnostic tests

• Surgery

Prevent the injuries from occurring and promote a safe playing environment to children. A child suffering with severe brain injury affects speech, vision, hearing, or taste function, muscle function depending on the brain damage area. Long-term or short-term injury may changes in the behavior or in personality. These children require lifelong medical and rehabilitative (physical, occupational, or speech therapy) management.