Francesco Nuti’s accident and the consequences of the fall

A fall, which perhaps seems trivial but instead is not trivial. Why yes, maybe we didn’t break anything, but we hit our heads and that blow was enough to create a brain dysfunction, which can return or cause permanent disability and even death. Not just a fall, as happened to the actor Francesco Nuti, however: the cause of a head injury can also be a road accident in which there is a violent movement of the head, for example with sudden acceleration or braking, a sports injury, an assault or a gunshot wound.

What causes

Head trauma – which is a leading cause of death and permanent disability worldwide – causes neuronal dysfunction and death, inflammation of brain tissue, and physical, cognitive, psychiatric and emotional disability. A very frequent event among adults and even children: about 70 million people in the world suffer a head injury every year, 130 people every minute, of which about 13 million are moderate or severe. In Europe every 10 minutes, a person dies as a result of a head injury. In young people, half of head injuries are related to road accidents.

Symptoms

The symptoms are linked to the violence of the trauma: if it is mild, one can lose consciousness for a few minutes or in any case recover after a few hours or days. In most cases the signs are headache, altered vision, memory problems, lethargy or mood swings.

If the trauma is severe, the loss of consciousness lasts longer, there is a deep state of confusion, difficulty speaking and waking up, numbness, inability to coordinate (you are unable to move your limbs), persistent or worsening headache, repeated nausea and vomiting, convulsions or seizures, dilation of the pupils.

It goes without saying that the results depend on the violence of the impact but memory problems and problems in the five senses often remain, cognitive difficulties, psychological disorders and problems speaking or, more generally, communicating. Head trauma also increases the risk of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative disorders.

The diagnosis

Diagnosis involves a thorough neurological examination, a CT scan (computed tomography) of the brain to identify any lesions or brain bleeding inside it. Even a minor lesion can evolve negatively if anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs are taken. In this case it is important to prolong the period of observation of the patient.

The therapies

There are no therapies available to restore the damaged brain, but patients with head trauma control other possible conditions that a healthy brain could face but not a diseased one: fever, low blood pressure, reduced blood oxygenation. Rehabilitation therapy is essential, both physical and speech therapy to recover part of the lost language.