Blast-Related Traumatic Brain Injury and Concomitant Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: a Review of Overlapping Symptoms

Purpose of Review Traumatic brain injury (TBI) secondary to blast injury is not unique to but highly prevalent in the military and veteran populations. This review summarizes our current understanding of the mechanism of blast injury that results in TBI; the most common chronic somatic and cognitive symptoms of associated mild TBI (mTBI); the overlap in symptoms with those of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in this population; and recommendations for symptom management. Recent Findings Military blast-related mild TBI does not have a distinct clinical course compared to non-blast mTBI, so the evaluation and treatment of blast-related mTBI should be identical to that of non-blast mTBI. Headache, visual symptoms, dizziness, and cognitive complaints are highly common in both chronic mTBI and PTSD. Summary When formulating a treatment plan for a veteran with mTBI, it is imperative to consider concomitant PTSD. Symptoms of chronic mTBI overlap with those of PTSD. It is recommended to take a holistic treatment approach without overattributing the symptoms to mTBI alone.