Concussion Symptoms in Children Can Last Up to a Year
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Dorling Kindersley RF/Thinkstock(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Concussion symptoms in children could last much longer than you think.
Study findings, published Monday in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, show that some children who suffer mild traumatic brain injury — or a concussion — could exhibit symptoms for months after the trauma. In fact, the researchers say memory and attention problems could be present for up to a year after the injury.
The study’s lead researcher, Keith Owen Yeates, director of Columbus, Ohio’s Behavioral Health Services at Nationwide Children’s Hospital said, according to HealthDay, that most children who suffer a concussion do not have persistent difficulty for months afterward. “But,” he said, “there is a small, but significant proportion of kids that do go on to have persistent symptoms after their injury, lasting as long as three to 12 months.”
The researchers say the severity of the injury could determine whether symptoms will persist. Children who lost consciousness appeared to have the worst symptoms, HealthDay reported.
Still, whether children lose consciousness or not, experts say to be cautious and take children with concussion symptoms to see a doctor.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio