Post-Concussion Syndrome Can Also Be Caused By Factors Other Than Head Injury
Mild traumatic brain injury is often followed by post-concussion syndrome, but brain injuries, it turns out, aren't the only traumas which predict the neurological condition. The finding is the result of new research published in a recent edition of the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
Researchers in this latest study evaluated 175 trauma patients -- 90 with mild traumatic brain injury and 85 without brain injury -- for symptoms including poor concentration, irritability, memory problems and mood swings. Of those patients, 43% of mild traumatic brain injured patients met the diagnostic criteria of acute post-concussion syndrome. However, an equal percentage of non-brain injured patients also met the diagnostic criteria.
Authors of the study say the new research is particularly important because it demonstrates that in those instances when mild traumatic brain injury patients continue to experience neurological symptoms for several weeks following their injury, those symptoms do not necessarily indicate underlying brain damage.
According to experts at the Mayo Clinic, post-concussion syndrome is a complicated disorder in which the symptoms of concussion can last for months following a head injury. Those symptoms typically include:
While there is no single diagnostic test for post-concussion syndrome, most physicians rely on a computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to detect abnormalities. Treatment is typically designed to alleviate symptoms of post-concussion syndrome.
If you think you or someone you know exhibits the symptoms of post-concussion symptom, or if you have sustained a head injury, you should seek medical attention immediately.
Previously on the DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog, we have posted articles related to:
- The designation of March as Brain Injury Awareness Month
- Evidence that knock-out brain injuries actually cause a permanent loss of brain tissue
- Research indicating that brain injuries can occur within one millisecond of an impact
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