VA to test all combat vets for brain injury

A soldier, who suffered a brain injury in a bomb blast in Iraq, expresses frustration when he loses his train of thought and forgets what he was going to say. Traumatic brain injury can be caused without any visible injuries when explosives jar the brain inside the skull. Symptoms can range from headaches, irritability and sleep disorders to memory problems and depression.

All Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans receiving veterans’ medical care will be screened for hidden traumatic brain injuries beginning this spring, Department of Veterans Affairs officials announced Tuesday.

All 155 medical centers will participate in screening every patient who served in the combat zones, according to a statement.

Additionally, VA officials said they are creating a panel of outside experts to review how the VA detects and treats what medical experts say has become the signature wound of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts: brain injuries that may not be readily apparent.

Mandatory training is already under way for all VA health care professionals in diagnosing traumatic brain injuries.

Read the rest at the Navy Times

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