Prevalence of Persistent Post-Concussion Syndrome in Adults After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Background: The incidence of post-concussion syndrome (PCS) in post-traumatic brain injury patients continues to increase every year. Although mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) is one of the primary causes of death and disability worldwide, research on the prevalence of PCS after mTBI is still extremely limited. Previous studies have shown that approximately 10-15% of mTBI patients experience PCS, but these studies often have different methodologies and sample sizes.Purpose: This study aimed to determine and compare the prevalence of persistent post-concussion syndrome (PCS; >1 month post-injury) in patients with mTBI and those without PCS.Methods: This study employed a retrospective cohort design and analyzed patient data from hospital records between July and December 2022, yielding a sample of 112 participants with persistent post-concussion syndrome (PCS) following mTBI and 204 participants without PCS. Patients with complete medical record data and active health checks for one month after being treated were taken as research subjects. PCS measurement was conducted using the Rivermead Post Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ).Results: The total number of mTBI patients was 112 patients with PCS (35.4%) with p<0.000. The occurrence of PCS was found to be most prevalent in the second month, with 49 patients (43.7%). Problems concentrating (37.5%), headache (30.3%), and memory problems (16.9%).Conclusions: The study found that 35.4% of patients with mTBI experienced persistent post-concussion syndrome (PCS) after one month. The occurrence of PCS was most prevalent in the second month, with 43.7% of patients experiencing it. The symptoms most commonly indicating PCS were problems concentrating, headache, and memory problems. These findings warrant better screening guidelines, and practices that patients adopt after mTBI.