title: Specificity of postconcussion symptoms at 3 months after mild traumatic brain injury: results from a comparative cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the specificity of symptoms included in various symptom lists used to identify postconcussion syndrome (PCS), by using follow-up data comparing patients with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) and control patients during the month prior to injury and 3 months later.
  
  
  METHODS
  The adult emergency department of a teaching hospital in Bordeaux, France.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort of patients with MTBI (n = 536) and a comparison group with nonhead injuries (n = 946).
  
  
  METHODS
  Postconcussion symptoms listed in the Rivermead Postconcussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ), the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), and the 10th International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analyses were performed comparing symptom occurrence in patients with MTBI and controls, before and 3 months after injury. Eight symptoms were identified as being specific to MTBI: headache, dizziness, intolerance of stress, forgetfulness, poor concentration, taking longer to think, blurred vision, and personality change.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The relevance of symptoms proposed to constitute PCS should be reviewed. A more specific definition of PCS would make diagnosis easier and facilitate prevention as well as treatment of patients with MTBI.
authors.affiliation: Univ. Bordeaux, ISPED, Centre INSERM U897-Epidémiologie-Biostatistique, F-33000 Bordeaux, France (Ms Laborey and Drs Salmi and Lagarde); INSERM, ISPED, Centre INSERM U897-Epidémiologie-Biostatistique (Ms Laborey and Drs Masson, Ribéreau-Gayon, Zongo, Salmi, and Lagarde); CHU de Bordeaux, Pole de santé publique, Service d'information médicale, (Dr Salmi); Service d'Anesthésie-Réanimation, Hôpital Pellegrin, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux (Dr Masson); and Service de médicine générale et post-urgences, Hôpital Pellegrin, Centre hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux, F-33000, Bordeaux, France (Dr Ribéreau-Gayon).
authors.forename: Magali
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laborey
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Masson
authors.forename: Régis
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ribéreau-Gayon
authors.forename: Drissa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zongo
authors.forename: Louis Rachid
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Salmi
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lagarde
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D038223:Post-Concussion Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires