“ At present , we have no clear way of working out which of these patients will have a speedy recovery and which will take longer , and the combination of over-optimistic and imprecise prognoses means that some patients risk not receiving adequate care for their symptoms .”
Almost Half of People with Concussion Still Show Symptoms of Brain Injury Six Months Later
Even mild concussion can cause long-lasting effects to the brain , according to researchers at the University of Cambridge . Using data from a Europe-wide study , the team has shown that for almost a half of all people who receive a knock to the head , there are changes in how regions of the brain communicate with each other , potentially causing long term symptoms such as fatigue and cognitive impairment .
Mild traumatic brain injury -- concussion -- results from a blow or jolt to the head . It can occur as a result of a fall , a sports injury or from a cycling accident or car crash , for example . But despite being labeled ‘ mild ’, it is commonly linked with persistent symptoms and incomplete recovery . Such symptoms include depression , cognitive impairment , headaches , and fatigue .
While some clinicians in recent studies predict that nine out of 10 individuals who experience concussion will have a full recovery after six months , evidence is emerging that only a half achieve a full recovery . This means that a significant proportion of patients may not receive adequate post-injury care .
Predicting which patients will have a fast recovery and who will take longer to recover is challenging , however . At present , patients with suspected concussion will typically receive a brain scan -- either a CT scan or an MRI scan , both of which look for structural problems , such as inflammation or bruising -- yet even if these scans show no obvious structural damage , a patient ’ s symptoms may still persist .
Dr Emmanuel Stamatakis from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Division of Anaesthesia at the University of Cambridge said : “ Worldwide , we ’ re seeing an increase in the number of cases of mild traumatic brain injury , particularly from falls in our aging population and rising numbers of road traffic collisions in low- and middle-income countries .
“ At present , we have no clear way of working out which of these patients will have a speedy recovery and which will take longer , and the combination of over-optimistic and imprecise prognoses means that some patients risk not
receiving adequate care for their symptoms .”
“ At present , we have no clear way of working out which of these patients will have a speedy recovery and which will take longer , and the combination of over-optimistic and imprecise prognoses means that some patients risk not receiving adequate care for their symptoms .”
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