Did you know that every 15 seconds someone in the United States receives a traumatic brain injury? This adds up to 1.5 to 2 million adults in the United States suffering from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year.
Luckily for sufferers of TBI ,scientists right here in Atlanta are on the case. The renowned Emory Univeristy Medical Center has been awarded a 14.5 million grant to work with Grady Memorial Hospital and the Morehouse School of Medicine to study a new treatment for traumatic brain injury.
The treatment would involve using the hormone progesterone on sufferers of traumatic brain injury. The same Emory scientists have previously studied this treatment with promising results and this new study would build on successful findings.
“We found a 50 percent reduction in mortality in those patients treated with progesterone,” said lead investigator Dr. David Wright of the pilot study. “Furthermore, we found signs that progesterone improved functional outcomes and reduced disability in patients with moderate brain injury.”
The National Institute of Health (NIH), which awarded the grant, has also promised another $14 million in grant money if the three-year study reaches certain goals. The study will include 1,140 patients in 17 medical centers in 15 states, with Grady Memorial Hospital serving as the lead research center. Doctors from Morehouse and Emory both work out of Grady routinely, and that practice will allow them hands on access to the study.
Previous versions of this study have found that progesterone can actually cut the near-term mortality rate of victims of traumatic brain injury in half. It has also been found to possibly curb the severity of non-fatal traumatic brain injuries.
“Progesterone offers a number of advantages over other experimental treatments for traumatic brain injury,” said a previous report by researchers. “Because it is lipid soluble, it rapidly crosses the blood-brain barrier and reaches equilibrium with the plasma within an hour of administration. It has a long history of safe use in men and women. The intravenous formulation we used can be easily administered by peripheral line. Because the agent is widely available in generic forms, it is inexpensive.”
Traumatic brain injury is also all too common for soldiers. Not only could this treatment help victims of accidents, perhaps it could also help the brave men and women serving on the front lines of the current conflicts.
If you’ve been the victim in an accident and experienced a traumatic brain injury then you may have legal recourse. If someone else caused your accident, then they can be held liable for any damages, such as loss of employment, resulting from your brain injury. But you must act quickly! Evidence of brain injury disappears over time, as does physical evidence related to the accident. Call MLN Law at (404) 531-9700 to get the compensation you deserve.