Number of concussion cases on the rise among US teens, says study

New Delhi: A new study released on Tuesday revealed that one out of five teens in the US reported at least one concussion diagnosis, and 5.5 percent of them have had more than one concussion.

The study, carried out by researchers from the University of Michigan, also indicated that teens playing contact sports, which emphasise or require physical contact between players, are more likely to suffer from concussions.

Among all the adolescents included in this study, the findings showed that 19.5 percent of teenagers who've been playing one of the 21 different sports in the past 12 months, reported at least one diagnosed concussion in their lifetime, Xinhua reported.

Concussions, also known as minor head trauma or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is the most common type of traumatic brain injury. It is typically defined as a head injury with a temporary loss of brain function.

It has physical, cognitive and emotional symptoms – the most significant being a headache. Other symptoms may include dizziness, vomiting, nausea, lack of motor coordination, difficulty balancing, blurred vision and sensitivity to light.

Cognitive symptoms include confusion, disorientation, and difficulty focusing attention.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, concussions can lead to headaches, nausea and irritability, while between 10 and 20 percent may experience symptoms like depression, headaches or difficulty concentrating.

The findings come at a time as interest in concussions among professional athletes, especially those in the National Football League, has increased in the US.

However, little is known about the prevalence of concussions among teens in the US, said Phil Veliz, a researcher at the Institute for Research on Women and Gender.

The study analysed data from more than 13,088 teenagers in the 2016 Monitoring the Future survey, a national study by University of Michigan, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse that tracks US students in grades 8, 10 and 12.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

(With IANS inputs)