Concussions in children: Do they go unnoticed?

According to a recently released survey report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC), almost 7% of children under the age of 17 have had symptoms of a concussion or brain injury in the United States.

Between the ages 0-17, children aged 12-17 had the highest percentage of concussion and brain injury symptoms (12.2%), compared to younger age groups. Rates of concussion also showed differences between genders: Boys had experienced more concussions compared to girls (7.7% to 5.9%, respectively). In terms of race and origin of the children, non-Hispanic white children (8.8%) were significantly more likely to have ever had symptoms of a concussion than children from other race and Hispanic-origin groups.

Interestingly, only 3.9% of children officially received a diagnosis of a concussion or brain injury by a health care professional. This indicates that there is a portion of children who experienced a concussion and remained without a proper diagnosis, treatment and follow up.

A reliable, quick and affordable diagnostic test for concussions can help lower the number of children who remain undiagnosed following a brain injury. Medicortex is developing a concussion test which will change how concussions are diagnosed. For more information, please visit our website www.medicortex.fi.