Breakthrough in diagnosing imbalance in TBI patients

A condition that causes loss of vertigo perception and imbalance has been diagnosed in traumatic brain injury patients for the first time, which could yield breakthroughs in the development of new treatments and diagnostic tests.

Of 37 patients with acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) involved in the study, 15 were diagnosed with a newly - characterised neurological diagnosis called vestibular agnosia - a condition in the brain which results in loss of vertigo perception and imbalance.

The impact of such a condition is shown through statistics which reveal TBI patients with balance problems are twice as likely to be unemployed six months after their injury, compared to those without balance dysfunction.