CDC: Brain injuries on the decline

ATLANTA - Federal health officials said Thursday campaigns to prevent injuries may be contributing toward a decline in the rate of traumatic brain injuries in the U.S. <br> <br> The rate of such injuries declined eleven-point-four percent between 1989 and 1998. The CDC said nearly 53,300 people die from those injuries each year. <br> <br> The injuries are mainly from firearms, motor vehicles and falls, which account for 84 percent of all traumatic brain injuries. The CDC said firearm deaths, which are the leading causes of brain injury death for people age 20 to 74, has been on the decline in the last decade. <br> <br> The agency also said motor vehicles are the leading cause of brain injury death for those 19 years old and under and falls are the leading cause of brain injury death for those 75 years old and older. <br> <br> As a result, health and transportation officials should continue to create injury-prevention programs to reduce deaths from brain injury. <br> <br> The agency said enforcement of seat belt and child safety seat laws and community health education campaigns likely have helped reduce the brain injury rate.

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