Signs and symptoms
Concussion can be associated with a variety of symptoms, which typically occur rapidly after the injury.[15] Early symptoms usually subside within days or weeks.[11] The number and type of symptoms a person suffers varies widely.[14]
[edit]Physical
Headache is the most common MTBI symptom.[19] Other symptoms include dizziness, vomiting, nausea, lack of motor coordination, difficulty balancing,[19] or other problems with movement or sensation. Visual symptoms include light sensitivity,[31] seeing bright lights,[30] blurred vision,[11] and double vision.[32] Tinnitus, or a ringing in the ears, is also commonly reported.[11] In one in about seventy concussions, concussive convulsions occur, but these seizures that take place during or immediately after the concussion are not the same as post-traumatic seizures, and they, unlike post-traumatic seizures, are not in themselves predictive of post-traumatic epilepsy, which requires some form of structural brain damage, not just a momentary disruption in normal brain functioning.[33] Concussive convulsions are thought to result from temporary loss or inhibition of motor function, and are not associated either with epilepsy or with more serious structural damage. They are not associated with any particular sequelae and have the same high rate of favorable outcomes as concussions without convulsions.[34]
[edit]Cognitive and emotional
Cognitive symptoms include confusion, disorientation, and difficulty focusing attention. Loss of consciousness may occur but is not necessarily correlated with the severity of the concussion if it is brief.[16] Post-traumatic amnesia, in which the person cannot remember events leading up to the injury or after it, or both, is a hallmark of concussion.[19] Confusion, another concussion hallmark, may be present immediately or may develop over several minutes.[19] A patient may, for example, repeatedly ask the same questions,[35] be slow to respond to questions or directions, have a vacant stare, or have slurred[19] or incoherent speech.[36] Other MTBI symptoms include changes in sleeping patterns[11] and difficulty with reasoning,[32] concentrating, and performing everyday activities.[19]
Affective results of concussion include crankiness, loss of interest in favorite activities or items,[37] tearfulness,[5] and displays of emotion that are inappropriate to the situation.[36] Common symptoms in concussed children include restlessness, lethargy, and irritability.[38]
