A new study found that many children experience concussion symptoms months after the accident and the effects may linger long after the physical symptoms fade away.
The growing number of concussions among kids and teens has raised serious concerns worldwide. A new study finds more reason to worry about such head injuries.
The study, conducted at the emergency medicine division at Boston Children's Hospital, found that the effects of a concussion among children linger long after the physical symptoms fade away.
The researchers noted that while physical symptoms like headache, dizziness and blurry vision can be observed right after the injury, emotional and mental symptoms show up much later and linger for a long time.
"Patients and their families should expect the physical symptoms that they experience after a head injury to get better over the next few weeks, but that emotional symptoms may come on later, even as the physical symptoms subside," said lead researcher Dr. Matthew Eisenberg, according to WebMD. "Only by knowing what symptoms can be expected after a concussion can we help reassure patients and families that what they experience is normal, know when to seek additional help, and make sure that children are taking appropriate precautions in regard to school and sports to achieve a full recovery."
For the study, researchers asked 235 children and young adults, who had suffered a concussion and went to a pediatric emergency department, to fill a questionnaire. A follow-up study was conducted over a period of three months till all the physical symptoms of the injury faded away. The participants were asked about their sports activity, and school and athletic performance.
Researchers noted that though most children recovered within 2 weeks, about 25 percent of them continued to experience headaches even one month after incurring the injury. Additionally, 20 percent said they felt fatigued more often and another 20 percent said that they took longer to think after the injury.
"It takes longer than people think to fully recover from a concussion. My experience is that kids who still have symptoms two weeks after a concussion are going to have a very hard time, and it's going to be a struggle to get them to the point where they have no symptoms," said Dr. John Kuluz, director of traumatic brain injury and neurorehabilitation at Miami Children's Hospital, according to Medscape.
The researchers found that sleep disturbance, frustration, forgetfulness and fatigue were symptoms that developed during the follow-up period.
Researchers of the study recommend seeking medical attention if the above mentioned symptoms last for more than a week after a concussion. The researchers also advice parents to keep children out of school for a few days after the injury but allow them to get back into their routine soon enough so that they don't experience any negative effects, according to CBS news.
A study conducted last month found that girls take longer to recover from a concussion than boys.
Statistics from ClearedToPlay.org, a registered non-profit organization that raises awareness about concussions, noted that 3,800,000 concussions were reported in 2012, double of what was reported in 2002.
The study was published on Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
