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OBJECTIVES: To examine the frequency and nature of postconcussive symptoms (PCSs) and behavioral outcomes in young children following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) or concussion. SETTING: Emergency department. PARTICIPANTS: Children aged 2 to 12 years presenting with either a concussion or minor bodily injury (control). OUTCOME MEASUREMENT: Parent ratings of PCS were obtained within 72 hours of injury, at 1 week, and 1, 2, and 3 months postinjury using a comprehensive PCS checklist. Preinjury behavior was examined at baseline using the Clinical Assessment of Behavior, which was readministered 1 and 3 months postinjury. RESULTS: PCS burden following mTBI peaked in the acute phase postinjury but reduced significantly from 1 week to 1 month postinjury. Parents of children with mTBI reported more persistent PCSs up to 3 months postinjury than trauma controls, characterized mostly by behavioral and sleep-related symptoms. Subtle increases in problematic behaviors were observed from baseline (preinjury) to 1 month postinjury and persisted at 3 months postinjury; however, scores were not classified as clinically "at risk." CONCLUSIONS: A significant minority of young children experienced persistent PCS and problematic behavior following mTBI. Care must be taken when assessing PCS in younger children as method of PCS assessment may influence parental reporting.

Despite peaks of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) incidence in young children, few studies have examined the nature of post-concussive symptoms (PCSs) in children under the age of eight, whilst controlling for pre-injury symptoms and effects of trauma. The current study aimed to identify which PCSs differentiate children with mTBI from trauma controls early post-injury, and whether these differed among preschool and school-aged children.The sample comprised 101 children aged 2-12 presenting to an emergency department, with concussion or other minor bodily injury (control). Groups were divided by age (preschool and school-aged). PCSs were assessed within 72 hours post-injury using a comprehensive PCS checklist, administered to their parents via structured interview.Parents of children with mTBI reported significantly more symptoms in their children than parents of children with other minor bodily trauma, p 0.001, r = 0.84. Parents of preschool and school-aged children reported an equal number of symptoms. However, subtle differences were observed between symptom profiles of preschool and school-aged children.Primary care clinicians should be aware of post-concussive symptom presentations in children of varying ages, in order to provide optimal care, especially in younger children. Methods of eliciting symptoms may influence the identification of symptoms. This issue warrants further examination in the paediatric population. ABBREVIATIONS ED emergency department; GCS Glasgow coma scale; mTBI mild traumatic brain injury; PCS post-concussive symptoms; PTA post-traumatic amnesia; TC trauma control.

Objectives:Whether mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) sustained by children results in persistent or recurrent symptoms, over and above those experienced by children who solely sustain mild extracranial injuries, remains debated. The current prospective longitudinal case-controlled study aimed to examine the relative influence of injury and noninjury factors on symptoms in preschool and primary school-aged children who sustained an mTBI or mild extracranial injury at least 8 month earlier.Methods:Participants were 64 parents of children (31 mTBI, 33 trauma controls) who sustained injury between ages 2 and 12, whose postconcussive symptoms across the first 3-month postinjury have been previously described. The current study assessed postconcussive symptoms at 8 or more months postinjury (M = 24.3, SD = 8.4) and examined a range of injury and noninjury predictive factors.Results:At or beyond 8-month postinjury, symptom numbers in the mTBI group were comparable with those of the group who sustained mild extracranial injury. Educational attainment of parents (below or above high-school attainment level) was the only predictor of symptoms at follow-up, with preexisting learning difficulties approaching significance as a predictor.Conclusions:While our earlier study found that mTBI was associated with symptoms at 3-month postinjury, follow-up at more than 8 months showed mTBI no longer predicted symptom reporting. While mTBI contributes significantly to the presence of symptoms in the first few months postinjury, researchers and healthcare practitioners in this field need to consider the potential impact of noninjury factors on persistent or recurrent symptoms after mTBI.