Patients can be rehabilitated using cognitive behavioral and physical therapies , but those with prolonged neuroinflammation tend to have a longer recovery process and more severe symptoms .
Obesity Associated with Increased Inflammation and Prolonged Symptoms After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Patients can be rehabilitated using cognitive behavioral and physical therapies , but those with prolonged neuroinflammation tend to have a longer recovery process and more severe symptoms .
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People with obesity who suffer a mild traumatic brain injury ( mTBI ) may be at risk for prolonged mTBI-related symptoms , likely due to increased systemic inflammation , according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine .
The research , published in the Journal of Neurology , Neurosurgery and Psychiatry , evaluated patients — both obese and those with a healthy body mass index
( BMI )— enrolled in the Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury ( TRACK-TBI ) study within 24 hours of sustaining an mTBI . Patients had their blood sampled to check for inflammatory biomarkers and completed outcome assessment questionnaires over a 12-month period . The study is the first to investigate if obesity impacts the relationship between recovery time , symptoms and increased inflammatory response in mTBI patients .