HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Might 5, 2021 (HealthDay Information) — Practically one in 4 American teenagers has suffered at the very least one concussion, in accordance with new analysis.
And although extra teenagers are self-reporting sports-related concussions, visits to the emergency room for these traumatic head injuries fell between 2012 and 2018.
“One cause that would clarify why adolescents who take part in sports activities noticed a rise in self-reported concussion may very well be resulting from better consciousness of a lot of these accidents,” stated examine creator Philip Veliz. He’s an assistant analysis professor on the College of Michigan Faculty of Nursing, in Ann Arbor.
For the examine, his crew checked out almost 53,000 college students in grades 8, 10 and 12, and located that self-reported concussions rose between 2016 and 2020. Particularly, in 2016, 19.5% of teenagers stated they’d skilled at the very least one concussion; by 2020 that quantity had risen to 24.6%, the findings confirmed.
“Self-reported concussions may very well be rising provided that each youngsters and oldsters have better information with respect to those accidents,” Veliz stated. “We now have seen a better effort within the U.S. to teach the inhabitants concerning the dangers related to head accidents, and will have better information with respect to signs related to a lot of these accidents.”
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Self-reported concussion, nonetheless, didn’t enhance throughout all teams. There was no enhance, for example, amongst teenagers who didn’t take part in sports activities.
Veliz stated these new findings don’t contradict research based mostly on emergency division knowledge which have reported a decline in a lot of these accidents.
“Extra adolescents could also be in search of look after these accidents, together with care from well being professionals outdoors the emergency division who’ve applicable analysis and administration expertise,” Veliz defined.
The U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention describes a concussion as a kind of mind damage that occurs when a blow to the pinnacle or physique causes the pinnacle and mind to maneuver quickly forwards and backwards, inflicting adjustments within the mind.
Whereas they might not be life-threatening, concussions can nonetheless be critical. Signs could embody a headache, neck pain, nausea, ringing in the ears, dizziness or tiredness. Extra critical signs embody convulsions or seizures, an incapacity to get up and lack of consciousness, in accordance with the U.S. Nationwide Library of Medication.
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Main sports activities organizations, together with these governing youth sports activities in the US, have taken steps to scale back concussion danger lately.
Veliz stated it is crucial, with the rise in stories of teenybopper concussions, for the general public to pay attention to these accidents and the perfect methods to stop and deal with them.
“Concussions look like a typical damage amongst adolescents. Roughly one in 4 have indicated the sort of damage,” Veliz stated. “Continued efforts to teach the inhabitants on each the danger and administration of those accidents ought to nonetheless stay a precedence because it pertains to adolescent well being.”
Dr. Teresa Murray Amato, head of emergency drugs at Lengthy Island Jewish Forest Hills in New York Metropolis, reviewed the findings. She stated extra consciousness of concussion amongst teen athletes is essential for preserving wholesome.
“It’s unclear if the precise variety of concussions are rising or if elevated schooling and consciousness of what concussion symptoms are results in elevated self-reporting,” Amato stated.
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She famous that many college districts are educating college students and oldsters concerning the hazard of not reporting signs.
“As we be taught extra about long-term unintended effects of childhood concussions, you will need to observe each will increase within the variety of concussions in addition to self-reporting,” Amato stated.
Reporting concussions could result in growth of how to maintain athletes in tip-top form, she added.
“Elevated self-reporting may additionally assist public well being officers and faculty officers create safeguards to maintain scholar athletes as wholesome as attainable whereas partaking in organized sports activities that could be at a excessive danger of concussions,” Amato stated.
The findings had been revealed Might 4 within the Journal of the American Medical Affiliation.
The researchers confused that continued efforts to observe and stop concussion are wanted. One limitation of the examine was use of self-reported measures of concussion, they famous.
Extra data
To be taught extra about concussion, go to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
SOURCES: Philip Veliz, PhD, assistant analysis professor, College of Michigan Faculty of Nursing, Ann Arbor; Teresa Murray Amato, MD, chairwoman, emergency drugs, Lengthy Island Jewish Forest Hills, New York Metropolis; Journal of the American Medical Affiliation, Might 4, 2021
