One in six children aged 5 to 15 who has a concussion will go on to experience a repeat concussion within 2 years, suggests a new study from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s (CHOP) Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Several characteristics of the initial concussion predict an elevated risk of subsequent concussions, including an increased number of symptoms and longer recovery time, according to findings from the study, which was published recently in The Journal of Pediatrics.

Researchers identified, through review of electronic health records (EHRs), 536 children aged 5 through 15 who had an initial visit for a concussion at a CHOP location between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013, and reviewed their EHR for a 2-year follow-up period. They found that 8% of patients were diagnosed with a second concussion within the first year, and 16% had a second concussion within 2 years, including 3% who were diagnosed with two additional concussions.

The risk of repeat concussion among 12- to 15-year-olds was almost twice as high as that of 9- to 11 year-olds, but this increased risk may simply be related to their increased exposure to sports and recreational activities, the release explains.

“Knowing a child’s increased risk for repeat concussions can help families make better decisions about their child’s health,” says study author Christina Master, MD, co-lead for CIRP’s concussion research program and a sports medicine pediatrician at CHOP, in a media release from CHOP.

“We know that having a lot of symptoms or a long recovery time from your initial concussion are associated with a subsequent concussion within a couple of years. By looking at the number of symptoms and length of recovery, clinicians can give families data on which to make informed decisions about future risk.”

A recovery course of more than 28 days correlated to a 65% increased risk of repeat concussion compared to patients with a recovery of less than 7 days. Patients who experienced more than 10 symptoms had twice the risk of repeated injury compared to patients with less than two symptoms. The risk of concussion did not vary by how patients got their initial concussion, suggesting that all concussions, regardless of cause, contribute to an individual’s overall burden of concussion and risk of subsequent injury.

“We hope that clinicians will pay particular attention to these findings, since repeat concussions can have real consequences for a young person’s health and development,” states Dr Matt Breiding of the CDC, in the release.

“The results of this study can aid a clinician in discussing the risk of further injury with patients and their parents.”

[Source(s): Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, PR Newswire]