Anchorman illuminates epidemic of brain injuries.

Byline: GUEST VIEWPOINT By Bryan Andresen and Laurie Ehlhardt For The Register-Guard

ABC News anchorman Bob Woodruff, who suffered a near-fatal brain injury last year while on assignment in Iraq, went public with his story last week. That he survived at all was a testament to the excellent medical care he received. That a year later he could so eloquently share his story was a testament to his painstaking rehabilitation and his family's unwavering support.

However, despite his enormous progress, Woodruff acknowledged that, like millions of Americans who survive traumatic brain injury (TBI), he will never fully recover; he will never be the same.

TBI is a serious public health concern, resulting in disability affecting at least 5.3 million Americans. Annual TBI incidence rates exceed those of breast cancer, HIV/AIDS and spinal cord injury combined.Each year, approximately 460,000 children and adolescents and 1.1 million adults sustain brain injuries due to motor vehicle collisions, assaults, falls and sports activities. TBI is one of the leading causes of death among those under age 45.

In Oregon alone, more than 2,500 individuals are hospitalized annually for TBI. Thousands more who do not require hospitalization nonetheless experience significant changes following injury. Reports indicate that the incidence of TBI among the 1.5 million troops that have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan could be at least 10 percent.

Each individual's injury is unique, and the list of potential changes is endless. Physical changes may include losing the ability to walk and to perform such everyday activities as eating, bathing and dressing. TBI may also affect speech, language, memory and other cognitive abilities. Changes in personality, behavior and regulation of emotions are common, as are fatigue, headaches and chronic pain.

All of these dramatically affect one's ability to engage in life. Family relationships are altered, friends drift away, jobs are lost. Direct medical costs and indirect costs such as lost productivity totaled an estimated $60 billion in the United States in 2000.

Recent advances in trauma care have contributed to increased survival. A soldier can be stabilized and receive state-of-the-art critical care on another continent within 13 hours. (During the Vietnam War, it took an average of 15 days to receive that level of treatment.) Severely injured veterans, including those from Lane County, will probably need rehabilitation and support for years. The amount of money spent on acute trauma care for both military and civilian patients far outweighs the amount spent on long-term rehabilitation. Access to services may be restricted or mired in red tape; survivors and families fall through the cracks.

Yet the possibilities for positive change are compelling. New drug therapies have the potential to improve long-term outcomes. A growing research base shows that on-going rehabilitation therapies as well as access to support services decrease dependence on social services and improve quality of life.

The enormity of the TBI epidemic has prompted Gov. Ted Kulongoski to proclaim March as `Brain Injury Awareness Month' in the hope of ensuring that all Oregonians with TBI receive the services they need, free of red tape. On the national front, Woodruff and his family have created the Bob Woodruff Family Fund for TBI (www.bobwoodrufffamilyfund.org) in association with The Brain Injury Association of America to raise awareness and to assist servicemen and women and their families affected by the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

What can we do to follow Woodruff's and Kulongoski's lead? Several things:

Educate: Call the Oregon Brain Injury Resource Network (1-877-872-7246) or visit the Brain Injury Association of America Web site, www.biausa.org.

Advocate: Call your state senator to support Senate Bill 617, authorizing the Oregon Department of Health and Human Services to establish a TBI registry and resource facilitation program. Contact the Brain Injury Association of Oregon (1-800-544-5243) to find out about this bill and federal legislation to support veterans with TBI.

Prevent: Take steps to reduce the risk of TBI, including (but not limited to) wearing a seatbelt, avoiding alcohol and cell phone use while driving, wearing helmets and using child safety seats.

Bryan Andresen, M.D., is a partner in Rehabilitation Medicine Associates of Eugene-Springfield, P.C., and medical director of Sacred Heart Medical Center's Oregon Rehabilitation Center. He was on Gov. John Kitzhaber's state task force on traumatic brain injury. Laurie Ehlhardt, Ph.D., is a speech-language pathologist and assistant fellow with the Teaching Research Institute - Eugene, a division of Western Oregon University. She serves on the board of directors for the Brain Injury Association of Oregon.