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Post-concussion syndrome
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Post-concussion syndrome
Post-concussion syndrome (PCS), also known as persisting symptoms after concussion, is a set of symptoms that may continue for weeks, months, or years after a concussion. PCS is medically classified as a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). About 35% of people with concussion experience persistent or prolonged symptoms 3 to 6 months after injury. Prolonged concussion is defined as having concussion symptoms for over four weeks following the first accident in youth and for weeks or months in adults.
A diagnosis may be made when symptoms resulting from concussion last for more than three months after the injury. Loss of consciousness is not required for a diagnosis of concussion or post-concussion syndrome. However, it is important that patients find help as soon as they notice lingering symptoms within one month, and especially when they notice their mental health deteriorating, since they are at risk of post-concussion syndrome depression.
Though there is no specific treatment for PCS, symptoms can be improved with medications and physical and behavioral therapy. Education about symptoms and details about expectation of recovery are important. The majority of PCS cases resolve after a period of time.
Concussion can be associated with a wide range of non-specific symptoms after the initial injury: physical, such as headache; cognitive, such as difficulty concentrating; and emotional and behavioral, such as irritability, anxiety of depression. Many of the symptoms associated with persisting symptoms after concussion are common or may be exacerbated by other disorders, so there is considerable risk of misdiagnosis. Persisting symptoms after concussion are usually defined as symptoms lasting more than 4 weeks after the initial injury.
Headaches that occur after a concussion may feel like migraine headaches (which resolve with the same medications) or tension-type headaches.[citation needed] Most headaches are tension-type headaches (which may be associated with a neck injury with sneezing and swallowing symptoms) that occurred at the same time of the head injury.
A common condition after a concussion is headache. While most people have headaches of the same type they experienced before the injury, people with persisting symptoms after concussion often report more frequent or longer-lasting headaches. They may need their migraine medicine twice a day rather than per month. Between 30% and 90% of people treated for PCS report having more frequent headaches and between 8% and 32% still report them a year after the injury.[needs update]
Dizziness is another common symptom reported in about half of people diagnosed with PCS and is still present in up to a quarter of them a year after the injury. Older people are at especially high risk for dizziness, which can contribute to subsequent injuries and higher rates of mortality due to falls.
About 10% of people with PCS develop sensitivity to light or noise, about 5% experience a decreased sense of taste or smell, and about 14% report blurred vision. People may also have double vision or ringing in the ears, also called tinnitus. PCS may cause insomnia, fatigue, or other problems with sleep.
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Post-concussion syndrome
Post-concussion syndrome (PCS), also known as persisting symptoms after concussion, is a set of symptoms that may continue for weeks, months, or years after a concussion. PCS is medically classified as a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). About 35% of people with concussion experience persistent or prolonged symptoms 3 to 6 months after injury. Prolonged concussion is defined as having concussion symptoms for over four weeks following the first accident in youth and for weeks or months in adults.
A diagnosis may be made when symptoms resulting from concussion last for more than three months after the injury. Loss of consciousness is not required for a diagnosis of concussion or post-concussion syndrome. However, it is important that patients find help as soon as they notice lingering symptoms within one month, and especially when they notice their mental health deteriorating, since they are at risk of post-concussion syndrome depression.
Though there is no specific treatment for PCS, symptoms can be improved with medications and physical and behavioral therapy. Education about symptoms and details about expectation of recovery are important. The majority of PCS cases resolve after a period of time.
Concussion can be associated with a wide range of non-specific symptoms after the initial injury: physical, such as headache; cognitive, such as difficulty concentrating; and emotional and behavioral, such as irritability, anxiety of depression. Many of the symptoms associated with persisting symptoms after concussion are common or may be exacerbated by other disorders, so there is considerable risk of misdiagnosis. Persisting symptoms after concussion are usually defined as symptoms lasting more than 4 weeks after the initial injury.
Headaches that occur after a concussion may feel like migraine headaches (which resolve with the same medications) or tension-type headaches.[citation needed] Most headaches are tension-type headaches (which may be associated with a neck injury with sneezing and swallowing symptoms) that occurred at the same time of the head injury.
A common condition after a concussion is headache. While most people have headaches of the same type they experienced before the injury, people with persisting symptoms after concussion often report more frequent or longer-lasting headaches. They may need their migraine medicine twice a day rather than per month. Between 30% and 90% of people treated for PCS report having more frequent headaches and between 8% and 32% still report them a year after the injury.[needs update]
Dizziness is another common symptom reported in about half of people diagnosed with PCS and is still present in up to a quarter of them a year after the injury. Older people are at especially high risk for dizziness, which can contribute to subsequent injuries and higher rates of mortality due to falls.
About 10% of people with PCS develop sensitivity to light or noise, about 5% experience a decreased sense of taste or smell, and about 14% report blurred vision. People may also have double vision or ringing in the ears, also called tinnitus. PCS may cause insomnia, fatigue, or other problems with sleep.