Concussion is a serious public health problem with children and adolescents enduring the greatest incidence. One-third of them sustain ongoing physical symptoms (e.g., headache or dizziness), cognitive (e.g., difficulty concentrating or feeling in a fog), emotional or behavioral symptoms beyond one month, known as persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS). Consequences may include missed school, depressed mood, loss of social activities, and lower quality of life.
The 5P study: Predicting and Preventing Post-concussive Problems in Pediatrics, led at CHEO and including nine pediatric emergency departments across Canada, enrolled over 3,000 children into this study. All participants were aged 5-18 years old and were evaluated within the first 48-hours after head injury (with most patients presenting within 3 hours of their injury).