Neurosensory Symptom Complexes after Acute Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

PLoS One. 2016 Jan 4;11(1):e0146039. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146039. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) is a prominent public health issue. To date, subjective symptom complaints primarily dictate diagnostic and treatment approaches. As such, the description and qualification of these symptoms in the mTBI patient population is of great value. This manuscript describes the symptoms of mTBI patients as compared to controls in a larger study designed to examine the use of vestibular testing to diagnose mTBI. Five symptom clusters were identified: Post-Traumatic Headache/Migraine, Nausea, Emotional/Affective, Fatigue/Malaise, and Dizziness/Mild Cognitive Impairment. Our analysis indicates that individuals with mTBI have headache, dizziness, and cognitive dysfunction far out of proportion to those without mTBI. In addition, sleep disorders and emotional issues were significantly more common amongst mTBI patients than non-injured individuals. A simple set of questions inquiring about dizziness, headache, and cognitive issues may provide diagnostic accuracy. The consideration of other symptoms may be critical for providing prognostic value and treatment for best short-term outcomes or prevention of long-term complications.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Comparative Study
  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Acute Disease
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Affective Symptoms / etiology
  • Brain Injuries / complications*
  • Brain Injuries / diagnosis
  • Cluster Analysis
  • Cognitive Dysfunction / etiology
  • Dizziness / etiology
  • Emergency Service, Hospital
  • Fatigue / etiology
  • Female
  • Gait Disorders, Neurologic / etiology
  • Headache / etiology
  • Hospitals, Military
  • Hospitals, University
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nausea / etiology
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • Prognosis
  • Sex Factors
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Symptom Assessment
  • Trauma Severity Indices
  • Vestibular Function Tests*
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Head Health Challenge II grant (National Football League, Underarmor, General Electric) and Department of Defense grant W81XWH-12-C-0205. The authors received no specific funding for this work.