Headway UK Calls For Change In National Brain Injury Guidelines

Headway UK, a leading brain injury charity has started a petition to activate a change in brain injury guidelines written by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

The charity wants the head injury guidelines to include more information about the effects of pituitary dysfunction. NICE is currently reviewing its guideline named: ‘Head Injury: Triage, assessment and early management of head injury in infants, children and adults’.

The move by the charity aims to improve the quality and comprehensiveness of the information head injury patients are given when they are discharged. Along with the improved literature, if doctors are able to carry out hormonal tests at appropriate junctures, it will all help to improve early diagnoses.

What Is The Function Of The Pituitary Gland?

The pituitary gland is located at the base of the brain and it is responsible for releasing hormones throughout the body. It also regulates hormones and therefore any damage to it can cause imbalances. These imbalances can lead to sexual dysfunction, depression, mood swings and reduced fertility.

Improvements To Increase Awareness

The new action by Headway is aimed to improve awareness and therefore increase and improve early diagnoses further helping brain injury victims.

Historically, there have been problems diagnosing the condition, mainly due to lack of overall awareness of it.

Claiming Compensation For A Head Injury

Head and brain injuries are common injuries that can happen through no fault of the victim. You may have had an injury to your head at work, in a road traffic accident or during a physical assault. If the accident was not your fault and third-party blame can be clearly identified then you could be able to claim for brain injury compensation.

Sometimes the consequences of a brain injury are not clear or obvious and damage to the pituitary gland can be one such condition. These types of brain injury can be harder to understand for victims and difficult to pinpoint for medical professionals. This can lead to confusion and depression for some victims.

If you, or a relative, have suffered either or both the direct and indirect effects of brain damage then you can claim for the pain and suffering you have endured if the injury was not your fault. It may also be that you have lost your job as a result, in which case you can also claim for loss of earnings in a brain injury compensation claim.

Please call today on 0333 358 3034.

Published 13th February 2015.