Concussion Symptoms And Treatment

What is a concussion ?

A concussion is a mild brain injury as a result of mechanical force, directly or indirectly acting on the skull without the brains themselves macroscopic (visible) perception have sustained injuries.

Concussion symptoms

• Unconsciousness, usually immediately after the accident. In a concussion is the loss of consciousness, by definition, of short duration, that is to say a few seconds up to a maximum of 30 minutes.
• Nausea and vomiting; vomiting often occurs soon after the accident and in general both symptoms hang together. Nausea and vomiting are few specific symptoms.
• Memory loss (amnesia); after again having regained consciousness exists in an amnesia victim, which can have three aspects: it does not remember the accident (amnesia for the event), it can no longer recall events leading up to the accident ( retrograde amnesia) and the inability to recall events after the accident (anterograde amnesia). The amnesia is a concussion usually short-lived and often absent, and by definition lasts longer than 24 hours. The memory disorders are the result of the memories from the memory as a result of the concussion are not stored in nonvolatile memory. The memories come after recovery from the concussion also not return.
• Any neurological symptoms are usually mild and subjective (non-measurable) in nature, such as blurred vision and dizziness.
• At any anatomic pathology examination no abnormalities are found.

The loss of consciousness caused by a temporary dysfunction of the reticular formation in the brainstem.

Concussion treatment

In head injury which results in one or more of these symptoms, please contact be taken to a doctor. The concussion itself is nothing to do but there is a (usually small) chance that there are additional problems that may require medical intervention. These are especially bleeding in the head and (in children), brain edema (known kindercontusie). If a brain scan such deviations show respect to the other by definition concussion more, there is talk of a heavier type of injury such as a brain contusion. When a concussion symptoms usually disappear after a short time. Today is no longer recommended bed rest. However, it is often advised to take it easy for a few days. For several days, weeks or sometimes longer symptoms persist, summarized under the heading of posttraumatic complaints. These relate to, among other things:

• headache
• nausea
• dizziness
• blurred vision
• tinnitus
• fatigue
• concentration problems.

Against the headache paracetamol may be used. Acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin®), and other NSAIDs should be avoided in relation to the inhibitory effect on the blood platelets (blood dilution '), even if bleeding are excluded with a CT-scan.

Previously, in the 24 hours after head trauma often given a wekadvies: one had to leave the patient not only during the day and at night wake up every hour to check consciousness. In adults, this advice is outdated. In patients at risk of bleeding in the head a CT scan; if it shows no bleeding is a wekadvies not necessary, and if this one shows a hemorrhage, the patient is hospitalized. In patients in whom no indication for a CT scan, the risk of bleeding in the head so small that a wekadvies is not necessary. In any case, research has shown that an wekadvies at home is not a reliable method for monitoring adult patients because often seemed not well able to adequately assess the level of consciousness. In children is indeed still routinely given a wekadvies.