New Urine Test May detect TBI From Blast Injury

September 10, 2015, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

As always tremendous medical innovation comes from war. In this case, a urine test has been developed that may allow for the detection of a certain form of TBI common in combat veterans. Blast induced neurotrauma is difficult to diagnose because the victims don’t always have obvious motor impairment or other neurological symptoms. The underlying mechanism of this brain injury is still poorly understood.

The injury is generally caused by a shock wave, but secondary damage takes place in days and weeks following the blast when there is some ‘cascading’ failure in the brain. It is thought that the secondary damage can be prevented if treated early on. If it isn’t treated the damage goes on to cause structural and biochemical damage in the brain leading to serious long term psychiatric and degenerative neurological dysfunction.

The urine test show elevated levels of acrolein in blast victims. This can be treated with  in test animals with the drug hydralazine. Researches are now developing a drug for use in treatment of humans.

As always tremendous medical innovation comes from war. In this case, a urine test has been developed that may allow for the detection of a certain form of TBI common in combat veterans. Blast induced neurotrauma is difficult to diagnose because the victims don’t always have obvious motor impairment or other neurological symptoms. The underlying mechanism of this brain injury is still poorly understood.

The injury is generally caused by a shock wave, but secondary damage takes place in days and weeks following the blast when there is some ‘cascading’ failure in the brain. It is thought that the secondary damage can be prevented if treated early on. If it isn’t treated the damage goes on to cause structural and biochemical damage in the brain leading to serious long term psychiatric and degenerative neurological dysfunction.

The urine test show elevated levels of acrolein in blast victims. This can be treated with  in test animals with the drug hydralazine. Researches are now developing a drug for use in treatment of humans.

About Deutschmann de Koning Law

Deutschmann de Koning Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann and Nick de Koning focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.ddinjurylaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.