ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — A fall, a hard hit, an accident—all of these things can jar your brain, causing a concussion. Symptoms can range from nausea to passing out. No matter what your symptoms are, you should see a doctor. But five in 10 concussions go under reported or even undetected. Ivanhoe has new information on the long-lasting impact of a concussion.
From the hard hits …
To some pretty hard falls, more than three million people will suffer a concussion this year.
Erin Reynolds, PsyD, Clinical Neuropsychologist at Baylor Scott & White Health says, “We see a lot of concussions that happen on the playground or at recess or in PE class.”
But do you know the common signs?
Reynolds, PsyD says, “We always look out for loss of consciousness, which is actually pretty rare, any stumbling, being off balance, vomiting, and then following the first several minutes, we look for headaches, dizziness, nausea, fogginess, any sensitivity to light or noise.”
There are actually 22 symptoms but only one is required to diagnose a concussion. And in the largest study done to date, reseachers have found that just one moderate to severe concussion can have a long-term impact on brain function, including memory. If you suffer three or more concussions, you are at higher risk for worsened brain function later in life. In particular, participants’ attention spans were impacted, as well as their ability to complete complex tasks. If you had four or more mild concussions, processing speed and working memory worsened. And each additional reported concussion was linked to progressively worse cognitive function.
Reynolds, PsyD says, “So, we used to think that concussion was homogeneous injury, meaning a concussion is a concussion, everyone is the same. We now know the same person may have multiple concussions and they may all look very different.”
What researchers do know … anyone can get one, there’s no blood test or scan to detect it, and no medicine to cure it. The only things that help — mental and physical rest.
And now, researchers are looking into subconcussions. They’re caused by an impact to the head that doesn’t show obvious symptoms. New research suggests that these subconcussions can cause long-term effects such as memory problems and depression. They are most often seen in football, soccer, car crashes, and assaults.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Roque Correa, Editor and Videographer.
Sources:
https://www.upmc.com/services/sports-medicine/services/concussion/about/facts-statistics
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230130213948.htm
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/subconcussive-head-impacts#vs-concussion
WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT CONCUSSIONS
REPORT #3061
BACKGROUND: A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury, or TBI, caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that causes the brain to move rapidly back and forth. This rapid movement causes brain tissue to change shape, which can stretch and damage brain cells. This damage also causes chemical and metabolic changes within the brain cells, making it more difficult for cells to function and communicate. Between 1.7 and three million sports and recreation-related concussions happen each year. Around 300,000 of those are from football. It is reported that five in 10 concussions go unreported or undetected, and two in 10 high school athletes who play contact sports will get a concussion this year. Girls’ soccer sees the second most concussions of all high school sports, while girls’ basketball sees the third most.
(Source: https://concussionfoundation.org/concussion-resources/what-is-concussion and https://www.upmc.com/services/sports-medicine/services/concussion/about/facts-statistics#:~:text=Between%201.7%20and%203%20million,get%20a%20concussion%20this%20year)
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS: It’s important to pay attention to the signs and symptoms of a concussion because it doesn’t show up on imaging like an X-ray, CT, or MRI scan and there is no objective test, like drawing blood or saliva, that can determine if a patient has a concussion. A diagnosis is made based on the results of a comprehensive examination, which includes observing signs and patients reporting symptoms appearing after an impact to the head or body. Common concussion signs include loss of consciousness; problems with balance; glazed look in the eyes; amnesia; delayed response to questions; inappropriate crying; inappropriate laughter; and vomiting. Concussion signs and symptoms are the brain’s way of showing it is injured and not functioning normally. Concussion symptoms typically fall into four major categories: somatic (physical) symptoms like headache and nausea; cognitive symptoms like memory problems and loss of focus; sleep symptoms like sleeping more than usual; and emotional symptoms like anxiety and depression.
(Source: https://concussionfoundation.org/concussion-resources/what-is-concussion)
NEW STUDY SHOWS PROMISE: A new study reveals the ability of two blood-based biomarkers to predict how someone will recover from traumatic brain injury (TBI). Testing for these two biomarkers in the immediate aftermath of an injury can help health care providers determine the best way to treat and care for patients. Researchers used Abbott’s i-STAT TBI Plasma test which is the only FDA-cleared rapid test on a portable analyzer for concussion. Researchers measured levels of Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) and Ubiquitin carboxy-terminal Hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) present in blood plasma within 24 hours of injury. After testing biomarker levels on the day of injury, they evaluated patients six months later, tracking how individuals fared and how biomarker levels corresponded to their recovery. “Brain injury biomarkers will one day be the standard of care to evaluate and treat patients,” said Dr. Fred Korley, an associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Michigan.
* For More Information, Contact: Deke Jones
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