An investigative report from ProPublica and NPR which says that unpublished military research shows tens of thousands of troops with what has been labeled “mild traumatic brain injury” are going undiagnosed and therefore uncounted. Without that, there can be no treatment.

The field of brain injury has been a fast-growing one, in general. For example, household injuries—whacking your head on the kitchen cabinet—now is something to report to a doctor. More damage can occur in that kind of injury than doctors knew until the invention of brain imaging equipment.

On the domestic front, better understanding of head injuries has led to better screening and treatment.

On the military front, soldiers are not getting the screening they need, this story says, and therefore no care.

ProPublica/NPR

“The military medical system is failing to diagnose brain injuries in troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of whom receive little or no treatment for lingering health problems, an investigation by ProPublica and NPR has found. (Emphasis added)

“So-called mild traumatic brain injury has been called one of the wars’ signature wounds. Shock waves from roadside bombs can ripple through soldiers’ brains, causing damage that sometimes leaves no visible scars but may cause lasting mental and physical harm. (Emphasis added)

“Officially, military figures say about 115,000 troops have suffered mild traumatic brain injuries since the wars began. But top Army officials acknowledged in interviews that those statistics likely understate the true toll. Tens of thousands of troops with such wounds have gone uncounted, according to unpublished military research obtained by ProPublica and NPR.” (Emphasis added)

Source: ProPublica/NPR June 8, 2010