Treat concussions in time, lead quality life

Hyderabad: Mild traumatic brain injury, also known as concussion, can have long-term effects and decrease quality of life if patients are not guided properly after the first attack, according to a study. The study by Journal of American Medical Association Network Open, has found that people often complain of recurrent headaches, trouble with memory and reasoning, difficulty in sleeping and depression. Despite treatment, most of them have physical or mental problems after a few years.

Asked about the findings of the study, Dr A. Vishnu Vardhan, consultant neurosurgeon with varous super speciality hospitals, said that in 80 per cent of the cases, mild traumatic brain injury involves brief loss of consciousness. “There are common complaints like balance problems, giddiness, fatigue, anxiety, irritability and memory and attention difficulties in these people. These long-term problems require proper follow-up care and it is found that only 10 per cent of the patients and their family follow-up with the doctors and healthcare workers,” Dr Vishnu Vardhan said.

The major reasons for the mild traumatic brain injury are slip and fall, assault injuries, road traffic accidents, injury while playing, falling from heights. The study has found that follow-up care is a challenge in 52 per cent of the cases. The study has found that healthcare practitioners need to pay more attention during counselling at the time of discharge and provide right guidance to the patients. Doctors said modern technology that is now available must be used better to help patients so that the recurrent symptoms are controlled and managed properly. 

Dr Rama Krishna, senior neurosurgeon, explained, “The recurrent symptoms of headaches and balance need to be evaluated from time to time. Medication and scanning is important. Patients require to be sensitised about the changed condition after the injury and they have to ensure that they are more careful in their routine daily activities.” Dr Rama Krishna said that in 20 per cent of the cases death and disability were due to improper management and follow-up care. Advanced trauma support protocols are available and the patient has to be guided and counselled to recover completely. Experts state that it is a slow process but modern medicines have shown good results. In cases of mental trauma like depression, anxiety and irritability there are counselling options. The major challenge is that the person requires support and assistance from home. When this is available, patients are found to recover faster and better.

Few cases linger for long

Studies have shown that the effects of most mild traumatic injuries are found to resolve in three to six months, but there are some cases where the long-term impact lingers for years. There is no proper data in India on the incidence of these injuries, but hospital records show that the incidence is 91 per 1 lakh people.

The long-term effects reported include hypersensitivity to sound and hearing. There are also visual problems like double vision, fatigue and difficulty in reading. Most studies have shown that the severity varies but it is commonly found in practice that after proper diagnosis and treatment the phenomenon can be reversed. In the case of mild injuries and timely hospitalisation the treatment outcomes have been encouraging.