Looking at outcomes a year after concussion

Article

How well do children recover from a concussion? A report offers some answers.

The understanding of concussion and what is needed to effectively treat it without the risk of long-term effects has changed in recent years. A report in the Journal of Pediatrics looks at how children are doing a year following an acute concussion as well as those who had subsequent repeat concussions.1

The investigators ran a secondary analysis of the Predicting Persistent Postconcussive Problems in Pediatrics study, which was run in 9 emergency departments in Canada. The participants in the study were children aged 5 to 18 years who presented ≤48 consecutive hours of concussion and also agreed to complete a post hoc survey a year after the injury. A standardized 25-question symptom scale was used to assess outcomes.

A total of 432 children from the study completed the 1-year survey and 34 of them indicated a repeat concussion. After an acute concussion, children or adolescents were more likely to be symptom free than after a repeat concussion (75% vs 50%; difference = 25% [95% CI 8-41]; P = .002) as well as to have a full recovery (90% vs 74%; difference = 17% [95% CI 5-34]; P = .002) after 1 year. Physical symptoms had lessened in the year following the concussion for both groups, but those with a repeat concussion indicated greater persistence of headaches (26% vs 13%; difference = 13% [95% CI 1,31]; P = .024). Both groups were also able to return to a normal school routine (100% vs 95%; difference = 5% [95% CI −5 to 8; P = .618]), but those who did not have a repeat concussion were found to more frequently return to sports (95% vs 82%; difference = 13% [95% CI 3-29]; P = .009) and normal physical activity (98% vs 85%; difference = 13% [95% CI 4-28]; P < .0001).

The researchers concluded that most children and adolescents who have a concussion are fully recovered as well as symptom-free after 1 year. However, a repeat concussion could lead to delays in returning to normal routines and could lead to non-optimal outcomes.

Reference

1. van Ierssel J, Ledoux A, Tang K, et al. Symptom burden, school function, and physical activity one year following pediatric concussion. J Pediatr. 2021;228:190-198.e3. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.08.061

Newsletter

Access practical, evidence-based guidance to support better care for our youngest patients. Join our email list for the latest clinical updates.

Recent Videos
Thomas Crawford, MD, discusses SMA and SAPPHIRE trial of apitegromab
Discussing phase 3 data of Panzyga for PANS, with Michael Daines, MD
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.