HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, May 5, 2021 (HealthDay News) – Nearly one in four American teens has suffered from at least one concussion, according to new research.
And while more teens report sports-related concussions, emergency room visits are traumatic. head injuries fell between 2012 and 2018.
“One of the reasons that could explain why teens participating in sports experienced an increase in self-reported concussion may be due to increased awareness of this type of injury,” study author Philip said Veliz. He is an assistant professor of research at the University of Michigan School of Nursing in Ann Arbor.
For the study, his team examined about 53,000 8th, 10th and 12th grade students and found that self-reported concussions increased between 2016 and 2020. Specifically, in 2016, 19.5% of teens went to say they had experienced at least one concussion. ; by 2020 this figure had risen to 24.6%, according to the results.
“Self-reported concussions could increase given that both children and parents have greater knowledge about these injuries,” Veliz said. “We’ve seen a greater effort in the U.S. to educate the population about the risks associated with head injuries and we may have more knowledge about the symptoms associated with these types of injuries.”
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However, concussion did not increase in all groups. There was no increase, for example, among adolescents who did not participate in sports.
Veliz said these new findings do not contradict studies based on data from the emergency service that have reported a decline in such injuries.
“There may be more teens seeking care for these injuries, including the care of health professionals outside the emergency department who have adequate diagnostic and management skills,” Veliz explained.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes a concussion as a type of brain injury that occurs when a blow to the head or body causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth, causing changes in the brain. brain.
While they may not be life-threatening, concussions can be serious. Symptoms may include a headache, Sore throat, nausea, ringing in the ears, dizziness or tiredness. The most severe symptoms include seizures or convulsions, an inability to wake up and loss of consciousness, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
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Major sports organizations, including those that govern youth sports in the United States, have taken steps to reduce the risk of concussion in recent years.
Veliz said it is important, with the rise in reports of concussions, that the public be aware of these injuries and the best ways to prevent and treat them.
“Concussions appear to be a common injury among teens. About one in four has reported this type of injury,” Veliz said. “Continued efforts to educate the population about the risk and management of these injuries should continue to be a priority in terms of adolescent health.”
Dr. Teresa Murray Amato, head of emergency medicine at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills in New York, reviewed the results. He said it is important to be more aware of the concussion among teenage athletes to stay healthy.
“It’s not clear if it increases the actual number of concussions or if it increases education and awareness of what symptoms of concussion they are leading to an increase in self-report, ”Amato said.
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He noted that many school districts educate students and parents about the danger of not reporting symptoms.
“As we learn more about the long-term side effects of concussions in childhood, it’s important to keep track of both the increase in the number of concussions and the self-report,” Amato said.
Reporting concussions can lead to the development of ways to keep athletes in tip-top shape, he added.
“An increase in self-report can also help public health officials and school officials create safeguards to keep student athletes as healthy as possible while practicing organized sports that may have a high risk of concussions,” he said. Beloved.
The findings were published on May 4 in Journal of the American Medical Association.
The researchers stressed that ongoing efforts are needed to control and prevent concussions. One of the limitations of the study was the use of self-reported measures of concussion, they noted.
More information
To learn more about concussion, visit the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
SOURCES: Philip Veliz, Ph.D., assistant professor of research at the University of Michigan School of Nursing, Ann Arbor; Teresa Murray Amato, MD, president of emergency medicine, Long Island Jewish Forest Hills, New York; Journal of the American Medical Association, May 4, 2021
