The CDC issued a report today March 17, 2010 saying that an estimated 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries resulting in deaths, hospitalizations and emergency department visits occur in the United States each year.

The report based on data collected between 2002 and 2006 finds each year there are 52,000 deaths and 275 hospitalizations related to traumatic brain injuries and 1.4 million or 80 percent of the total cases of TBI were treated and released from an emergency department. The deaths related to the traumatic brain injury (TBI) accounts for the total deaths from injury.

Falls are found to be the leading cause for the traumatic brain injury accounting for 35.2 percent of the total, which most likely occurs in children from birth to 4 years and for adults aged 75 years and older.

The report also finds that children from birth to 4 years of age, older adolescents aged 15 to 19 years and adults aged 65 years and older are most likely to sustain a traumatic brain injury.

Road traffic injury is the second leading cause for the traumatic brain injury, which accounts for 17.3 of traumatic brain injury cases, but results in the highest percentage of TBI-related deaths or 31.8 percent of the total deaths.