That’s the amount of traumatic brain injuries that are documented annually.
10% of these cases are related to young adults and children practicing sports.
The Silent Pandemic
Brain injuries are some of the most common injuries when it comes to sports, but are often overlooked due to their “invisibility”.
This has led to the nickname: The Silent Pandemic
Effects
Physical
Cognitive
Behavioural
Dizziness
Attention problems
Impaired awareness
Sleep issues
Memory problems
Impulsive behaviour
Headaches
Motivation problems
Anger
The symptoms of brain injury can be difficult to notice, meaning athletes or affected individuals might not even know that they have sustained a brain injury. These people are at risk of repeated brain injuries, and eventually suffering from its severe consequences for the rest of their lives. If the patients don't know the severity of the injury, they might continue the game or their daily life, without knowing the severity of the situation.
But what if there was a way to diagnose brain injuries in a quick, easy and non-invasive way so that patients know if they have aquired a brain injury? This is where our project comes in!
Solutions
With the use of tears from people who have a suspected brain injury, AptaTear can diagnose they have sustained a brain injury or not with the help of the biomarker Tau (protein) which enters the tear fluid when a brain injury occurs.
As of now, there is no quick and non-invasive way to quickly diagnose these types of injuries, as the main methods of diagnosis involve blood or spinal fluid. AptaTear would be a substitute for these methods, and could hopefully make diagnosis easier, safer, and less painful. In addition to this, the injury could be assessed before coming to the hospital by using AptaTear in the ambulance, making it easier for the hospital to treat the patients immediately!
