Multiple Concussions Linked to Increased Health Risks for Teen Athletes

A recent study pending publication in the journal Neurosurgery found that student athletes who experienced two or more concussions may experience early symptoms of post-concussion syndrome. For the study, 260 high school athletes with one previous concussion, 105 high school athletes with two previous concussions, and 251 high school athletes with no history of concussion were evaluated. After collecting data from these athletes, it was found that compared with athletes with either no concussion history or one previous concussions, athletes with two or more previous concussions were more likely to have a cluster of three types of symptoms; intellectual symptoms such as memory problems or mental ‘fog’, physical symptoms, such as headaches and problems with balancing or feeling dizzy, and sleep symptoms, such as sleeping more or less than the athletes normally would. It was not surprising that rates of concussion-related symptoms were higher among athletes with previous concussions, but the finding was particularly true for those with two or more concussions. No differences in emotional symptoms, such as irritability or sadness, were discovered among all three groups of athletes. The symptoms seen in high school athletes who had suffered two or more concussions are similar to those seen in retired professional athletes with a history of concussion. A recent autopsy of an 18 year old athlete with a history of multiple concussions also showed evidence of the degenerative brain disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Researcher Philip Schatz of Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia stated that the study’s finding should “serve as a caution for parents, coaches, and sports medicine personnel supervising high school and other youth athletes with a history of concussion,” and additionally said “these study results support the recent surge in advocacy on state and federal governmental levels to establish youth concussion management programs and to better regulate the rules of youth sports,” in hope that greater awareness of the risks of multiple concussions will result in decreased numbers of athletes suffering from post-concussion syndrome.