Concussion overview
|
Concussion Microchapters |
|
Diagnosis |
|---|
|
Treatment |
|
Case Studies |
|
Concussion overview On the Web |
|
American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Concussion overview |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Please help WikiDoc by adding more content here. It's easy! Click here to learn about editing.
Overview
Concussion, from the Latin concutere ("to shake violently"), is the most common and least serious type of traumatic brain injury. The terms mild brain injury, mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), mild head injury (MHI), and minor head trauma and concussion may be used interchangeably, although the latter is often treated as a narrower category. The term 'concussion', has been used for centuries and is still commonly used in sports medicine, while 'MTBI' is a technical term used more commonly nowadays in general medical contexts. Frequently defined as a head injury with a transient loss of brain function, concussion can cause a variety of physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms.
Epidemiology and Demographics
Due to factors such as widely varying definitions and possible underreporting of concussion, the rate at which it occurs annually is not known; however it may be more than 6 per 1000 people.[1]
Natural History, Complications and Prognosis
Repeated concussions can cause cumulative brain damage such as dementia pugilistica or severe complications such as second-impact syndrome.
Diagnosis
History and Symptoms
Concussion can be diagnosed and assigned a level of severity based largely on symptoms.