ER, Trauma Doctors Often Miss Diagnosis of Mild Brain InjuryBy: MOON, MARY ANNPublication: Family Practice News Date: Tuesday, February 1 2000 WASHINGTON -- Many of the estimated 1.5 million Americans who sustain mild traumatic brain injury each year are never diagnosed, Dr. Tova Alladice said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. "Mild traumatic brain injury is an epidemic in the United States, and fewer than 1 in 20 patients get the rehabilitation they need," said Dr. Alladice of Baylor College of Medicine, Houston. Postconcussive symptoms, including headache, memory loss, and cognitive dysfunction, develop in 10%-15% of these patients and may be disabling, she noted. To examine underdiagnosis of this condition, Dr. Alladice reviewed the medical records of 29 patients who were evaluated for head injury at a single urban trauma center. All of the subjects met criteria for mild traumatic brain injury: an abnormal result on the Glasgow Coma Scale plus the presence of confusion, amnesia, loss of consciousness, or focal neurologic deficits. The subjects included 21 males and 8 females aged 15 to 75 years. They had sustained head injuries in falls (69%), car accidents (7%), pedestrian accidents (7%), assaults (3%), or unknown circumstances (14%), Dr. Alladice reported in a poster presentation. |
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