Original ArticleSymptom Severity Predicts Prolonged Recovery after Sport-Related Concussion, but Age and Amnesia Do Not
Section snippets
Methods
This was a multicenter prospective cohort study of patients seen in 2 sport concussion clinics, Boston Children's Hospital and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Bethel Park location. Both hospitals are located in urban setting and receive referrals from a variety of sources, including emergency departments, primary care physicians, and directly from athletic trainers and team physicians. Most of the patients resided in an urban or suburban setting, although each hospital cares for a
Results
Although 266 participants had sustained a sport-related concussion, completed all forms, and were recovered by the end of the study period, 84 were not seen in the clinic until more than 3 weeks since the time of injury and were excluded, leaving 182 patients for analysis. The majority of these patients (n = 172) sustained their injury while playing organized sports, and 9 had injury mechanisms and forces similar to those occurring in sports, but were not participating in organized athletics at
Discussion
Our study shows that after adjusting for potential confounding variables, only total PCSS score is independently associated with prolonged symptoms after concussion. The odds of prolonged symptom duration increased with increasing PCSS score. No other possible predictor variables included in our investigation were independently associated with symptoms persisting for more than 28 days.
Although crucial for patients who suffer prolonged symptoms, medical interventions, academic accommodations,
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Cited by (0)
Funded by the National Institutes of Health (T32 HD040128-06A1 [to W.M.] and K12 HD052896-01A1 [to R.M.]). M.C. is codeveloper of the Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) software used in this study and is co-owner of ImPACT Applications (the company that distributes the ImPACT program). The other authors declare no conflicts of interest.