Citation

Harris AW, Voaklander DC, Jones CA, Rowe BH. Clin. J. Sport. Med. 2012; 22(2): 91-97.

Affiliation

*Alberta Centre for Injury Control and Research, School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada †Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry ‡School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/JSM.0b013e31823776cb

PMID

22252163

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To provide population-based risk estimates for sustaining subsequent head injuries (HIs), which occur in sports and recreation (SR). DESIGN: Population-based, retrospective, cross-sectional study. SETTING: Retrospective review of data from 2 tertiary care and 3 community care emergency departments (EDs) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. PATIENTS: Individuals younger than 36 years presenting to an ED with a SR-related injury between April 1, 1997, and March 31, 2008. There were 9246 subsequent ED records identified for 8958 patients in the main analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinically diagnosed HI occurring in SR activities after an index presentation, and the number of days between ED presentations for diagnosed SR-HIs. RESULTS: Individuals with 1 and 2 previous SR-related HIs were 2.62 [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.23-3.07] and 5.94 times, respectively, more likely (95% CI, 3.43-10.29) to sustain a subsequent HI than those without a previous HI. The median time-to first HI was 758 days from an initial injury and decreased to 613 days and 303 days for those at risk of a second and third SR-related HIs (P < 0.0001). Individuals aged 7 to 13 years were 4.29 times more likely (95% CI, 2.65-6.92) to sustain a HI when presenting with a subsequent SR injury, compared with those aged 30 to 35 years. CONCLUSIONS: The odds of sustaining a subsequent HI substantially increase with each successive HI. Time between SR-related HIs shortens as the number of HIs increases. Initial HI may be a key marker to institute high-risk injury prevention measures directed at young persons who present to EDs.

Language: en