CONCUSSION HISTORY PREDICTS SYMPTOM SEVERITY BEFORE AND AFTER A CONCUSSIVE EVENT

In conjunction with neuropsychological and neurological evaluations, symptom reporting remains an integral part of the assessment and treatment of concussed athletes. Despite this, little is known regarding how multiple concussions may affect symptom reporting in a collegiate population. PURPOSE The present investigation evaluated how concussion history affects symptom self-reports prior to and after sustaining a concussion at the collegiate level. METHODS Upon entry into the Penn State Concussion Program, male athletes (n=435) were administered questionnaires that assessed their concussion history and current symptomatology. During the course of the study, those male athletes who sustained a concussion were evaluated at 2 hours (n=42), 48 hours (n=58), and 1 week post-injury (n=57). Controls were selected from a variety of sports. They did not experience a concussion during the study period and were tested at the same time intervals as the concussed athletes. RESULTS 155 participants reported a history of one or more concussions at the initial assessment. At this initial assessment, athletes with a history of concussion reported more current symptomatology than athletes who had never been concussed (p = .01). In contrast, athletes with no history of concussion reported significant more concussive symptoms at 2 hours post-injury than athletes with a history of 1 or more concussions (p < .05). Moreover, athletes with no history of previous concussion reported significantly more symptoms than a control group at the 2 hour (p < .01) and 48 hour (p < .05) assessments. A trend was noted in which athletes with a history of concussion reported more symptoms than controls at the 2 hour (p = .08) and 48 hour assessments (p = .08). CONCLUSION Prior to a concussive episode, athletes with a history of 1 or more concussions reported more current symptomatology than athletes with no history of concussion. However, 2 hours after a concussion, athletes with a positive concussion history reported fewer symptoms than athletes who had just been concussed for the first time. Supported in part by NOCSAE grant 0108