Predictors of persistent concussion symptoms in adults with acute mild traumatic brain injury presenting to the emergency department.

OBJECTIVE

To identify risk factors associated with persistent concussion symptoms in adults presenting to the emergency department (ED) with acute mild traumatic brain injury (TBI).

METHODS

This was a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial conducted in three Canadian EDs whereby the intervention had no impact on recovery or healthcare utilization outcomes. Adult (18-64 years) patients with a mild TBI sustained within the preceding 48 h were eligible for enrollment. The primary outcome was the presence of persistent concussion symptoms at 30 days, defined as the presence of ≥ 3 symptoms on the Rivermead Post-concussion Symptoms Questionnaire.

RESULTS

Of the 241 patients who completed follow-up, median (IQR) age was 33 (25 to 50) years, and 147 (61.0%) were female. At 30 days, 49 (20.3%) had persistent concussion symptoms. Using multivariable logistic regression, headache at ED presentation (OR: 7.7; 95% CI 1.6 to 37.8), being under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of injury (OR: 5.9; 95% CI 1.8 to 19.4), the injury occurring via bike or motor vehicle collision (OR: 2.9; 95% CI 1.3 to 6.0), history of anxiety or depression (OR: 2.4; 95% CI 1.2 to 4.9), and numbness or tingling at ED presentation (OR: 2.4; 95% CI 1.1 to 5.2), were found to be independently associated with persistent concussion symptoms at 30 days.

CONCLUSIONS

Five variables were found to be significant predictors of persistent concussion symptoms. Although mild TBI is mostly a self-limited condition, patients with these risk factors should be considered high risk for developing persistent concussion symptoms and flagged for early outpatient follow-up.