Clinical features of mTBI diagnosis (confirmed mTBI, n=351; indeterminate mTBI, n=180) who presented to ED, illustrated by WHO diagnostic criteria and secondary criteria
| Confirmed mTBI (WHO criteria) (n=351) | Indeterminate mTBI (secondary criteria) (n=180) | Statistical comparison | |
| N (%) | N (%) | P value* | |
| mTBI WHO criteria | |||
| (i) Level of consciousness | |||
| Initial GCS at the scene/ED triage | |||
| 15 points | 232 (66.1) | 180 (100) | |
| 14 points | 103 (29.2) | — | |
| 13 points | 14 (4) | — | |
| Missing | 2 (0.57) | — | |
| LOC ≤30 min | |||
| No | 71 (20.2) | — | |
| Yes (witnessed/self-reported) | 185 (52.7) | — | |
| Missing | 50 (14.2) | — | |
| (ii) Confusion/disorientation | 97 (27.6) | — | |
| (iii) Amnesia <24 hours | |||
| No | 40 (11.4) | — | |
| Yes (observed/self-reported) | 229 (65.2) | — | |
| Missing | 78 (22.2) | — | |
| (iv) Intracranial injuries on brain CT | 31 (8.8) | — | |
| Multiple mTBI WHO criteria | 186 (53) | — | |
| mTBI secondary criteria | |||
| Queried LOC | 45 (12.8) | 12 (6.7) | <0.05 |
| Queried amnesia | 4 (1.1) | 3 (1.7) | 0.564 |
| PTA testing w/ optimal scores | 32 (9.1) | 45 (25) | <0.001 |
| Post-concussion symptoms† | 183 (52.1) | 133 (73.9) | <0.001 |
| Headache | 149 (42.4) | 128 (71.1) | |
| Nausea/vomiting | 103 (29.3) | 79 (43.9) | |
| Dizziness | 44 (12.5) | 58 (32.2) | |
| Fatigue | 2 (0.6) | 1 (0.6) | |
| Memory problems | 5 (1.4) | 1 (0.6) | |
| Concentration problems | 4 (1.1) | 2 (1.1) | |
| Other | 81 (23.1) | 78 (43.3) | |
| Transient neurological abnormalities† | 28 (8) | 22 (12.2) | |
| Multiple mTBI secondary criteria | — | 32 (17.8) |
The data contain occasional missing data values, which are assumed to be random.
*χ2, z-test, t-test.
†Proportion of valid cases.
ED, emergency department; GCS, Glasgow Coma Scale; LOC, loss of consciousness; mTBI, mild traumatic brain injury; PTA, post-traumatic amnesia.