British Troops to Be Checked for Brain Injury

Oct 29, 10:04 AM

Current Headlines: British troops to be checked for brain injury

LONDON, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- British troops in and returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are to be checked for brain injury as they may have suffered damage after being exposed to explosions, local press reported Saturday.

The full study into brain injury in troops will be rolled out in the New Year, the Daily Guardian reported.

The Ministry of Defense confirmed that questionnaires had been sent to troops to see if they had signs of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), a condition caused by a blow to the head or by being close to an explosion..

The questionnaire-based self-assessment is currently being tried in Iraq and Afghanistan, and will be brought to all those who may be affected in the New Year.

The questionnaires are supported by a help hotline and a website, and there is an mTBI treatment program at the military rehabilitation center at Headley Court in Surrey.

The frequent use of improvised explosive devices, such as roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan, has put soldiers who have served there at particular risk of brain injury.

Symptoms include memory loss, anxiety and depression, but tend to disappear within three months in 90 percent of the cases.

The survey was triggered by fears in the U.S. military that up to 20 percent of its soldiers and marines have suffered from the injury.

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