Objective: To investigate the sequelae of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) by comparing selected outcomes of emergency department-diagnosed patients with mild head injuries to those with non-head injuries.
Setting: Five emergency departments in southern California.
Participants: Two cohorts, one with MTBI (n = 689 at initial assessment) and another with non-head injuries (n = 1318).
Main measures: Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index at 3 months postinjury.
Results: Postconcussion symptom rates and summary Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire scores were significantly higher for persons with MTBI than for the comparison cohort. Women reported significantly more symptoms than men. Complaints about sleep quality overall (and also sleep latency and daytime dysfunction subcomponents) were significantly more frequent among those with MTBI.
Conclusion: Patients with MTBI have significantly more negative outcomes than patients in the comparison cohort and should be clinically managed with these prevalent outcomes in mind. Further study of follow-up medical management and the development of treatment guidelines for this group of patients are both warranted.