Initial somatic symptoms are associated with prolonged symptom duration following concussion in adolescents.

To determine which initial post-injury symptom domains are independently associated with symptoms lasting greater than 28 days in youth athletes who sustained sport-related concussions.Patients who presented for care at a sport-concussion clinic completed the post-concussion symptom scale. They were classified into 2 groups: those who reported symptom resolution within 28 days of injury and those who did not. Logistic regression models were constructed for children and adolescents to determine the independent association between symptom recovery and potential predictor variables: initial symptom scores in 5 post-concussion symptom scale domains (somatic, vestibular-ocular, cognitive, sleep, and emotional), sex, loss of consciousness or amnesia at the time of injury, history of prior concussion, prior treatment for headaches or migraines, or family history of concussion.Sixty-eight child (8-12 years of age) and 250 adolescent (13-18 years of age) athletes were included. For adolescents, initial somatic symptom severity was independently associated with prolonged symptom duration (adjusted odds ratio= 1.162; 95% CI: 1.060, 1.275); no other predictor variables were. No potential predictor variables were independently associated with prolonged symptom duration for children.Among adolescent athletes, a high initial somatic symptom burden (e.g. headache, nausea, vomiting, etc.) is associated with increased odds of symptoms beyond 28 days post-injury. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.