Non-traumatic brain injury is a type of acquired injury that occurs after birth as the result of a non-traumatic event, such as an illness, airway obstruction or other event that causes a lack of oxygen to the brain, or exposure to toxins. Visit our causes of brain injury section for a complete and detailed explanation of causes. A non-traumatic brain injury happens on a cellular level, which means that instead of one part of the brain being affected, there is damage across the brain as a whole.

Symptoms can be mild, moderate, or severe, and for the most part are similar to those seen in traumatic brain injury. However, kids with non-traumatic brain injury tend to experience more severe cognitive and behavioral issues than those who have experienced traumatic brain injury, experience longer lengths of time in coma, and more frequently experience muscle movement disorders such as cerebral palsy. The prognosis will vary widely depending upon the child and the type of injury.

There are two basic types of non-traumatic brain injury:

Anoxic brain injury occurs when the brain doesn’t receive any oxygen. There are three types of anoxic brain injury.

• Anoxic anoxia occurs when no oxygen is supplied to the brain.
• Anemic anoxia occurs when the blood that flows to the brain does not carry oxygen.
• Toxic anoxia occurs when toxins in the blood block the oxygen from access to the brain.

Hypoxic brain injury occurs when not enough oxygen reaches the brain. Also sometimes called hypoxic ischemic brain injury, stagnant hypoxia, or ischemic insult, this injury occurs as a result of a lack of blood flow to the brain.

If your child is exhibiting signs or symptoms of non-traumatic brain injury, they should be taken to an emergency room right away. Doctors will stabilize the patient, then will use the Glasgow Coma Scale and a battery of imaging tests to diagnose the type and severity of the injury. There are two main treatment phases—the initial phase of treatment will focus on stabilizing your child to ensure that further damage doesn’t occur, while long-term treatment will focus on rehabilitation designed to return your child to the maximum amount of function. There are a wide variety of traditional and alternative therapies that can help your child live the best life possible.