OBJECTIVE: To examine differences in individual symptom report prevalence between children and adolescents experiencing 1 to 2 versus ≥3 persistent postconcussion symptoms.
DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. SETTING: Three community practice concussion clinics within a family practice network. PATIENTS: Children and adolescents aged 8 to 18 years presenting to clinics within 72 hours of a sport-related or recreation-related concussion. Those with complete symptom data from a 1-month follow-up time point (n = 236) were included in analyses. INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: One hundred thirty-six patients (n = 136) reported 0 symptoms as worse than preinjury at the 1-month time point. Participants reporting 1+ symptoms as worse than preinjury at 1 month were assigned to groups based on the number of symptoms endorsed: those with 1 to 2 (n = 38) compared with those experiencing ≥3 (n = 62). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Fisher exact tests were used to compare symptom report prevalence for each item of the Rivermead Postconcussion Symptoms Questionnaire. This research question was formulated and examined after completion of data collection.
RESULTS: Across both groups, headache and fatigue were the most commonly reported persistent postconcussion symptoms. Several emotional symptoms (eg, irritability, depression) were primarily or only present in those reporting ≥3 persistent symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide detail regarding the clinical manifestation of experiencing fewer versus more persistent postconcussion symptoms, underscoring the importance of developing individualized, multifaceted rehabilitation programs.