What are the symptoms of a concussion?

Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
Updated on December 24, 2024
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Patients with concussions often present with a clear history of head trauma, followed by a brief period of impaired consciousness, often referred to as a state of drowsiness or stupor. As the condition progresses, patients usually regain consciousness spontaneously and experience significant symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. In addition, during subsequent treatment, patients may experience clinical symptoms such as insomnia at night, frequent dreaming, and easy waking. Patients often cannot accurately recall the incident at the time of injury, a condition clinically known as retrograde amnesia. However, in such patients, head CT or MRI scans typically show no significant positive findings. For these patients, diagnosis is generally made based on clinical presentation.

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What department should I go to for a concussion?

Concussion is a relatively mild form of traumatic brain injury, usually involving disturbances in consciousness and short-term memory loss, with patients unable to recall the incident. Symptoms may include a drop in blood pressure, pale complexion, headache, dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, reduced memory, or lack of concentration. Long-term effects can appear three months later. Patients with concussion can be treated in neurology or neurosurgery departments, among others.

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What are the dangers of a concussion?

In general, as long as one follows medical advice, recovery from a concussion is usually quite satisfactory, and it rarely leaves any long-term harm. Short-term harm can result in the patient experiencing some very painful symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, etc. Such subjective experiences can comparatively make the patient suffer. For those who are emotionally excited or fragile, it may even lead to anxiety and depression, which are some of the recent damages. In the long term, some patients might experience a loss of memory, particularly short-term memory, which can also cause some inconvenience in their lives. However, overall, the damage from a concussion is very minimal, and as long as it is treated properly, there is generally no harm in the later stages.

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How to diagnose a concussion

Typically, patients with concussions do not show organic changes on head CT scans; their primary clinical symptoms include temporary disturbances in consciousness after the injury and short-term memory loss. Some patients also experience varying degrees of headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, blindness, impaired memory, or lack of concentration, among other clinical symptoms. Generally, the essential tests include: first, a head CT scan; second, an electroencephalogram (EEG); third, cerebrospinal fluid examination.

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What to do if you feel dizzy from a concussion?

Patients with concussion often exhibit signs of transient consciousness disorders and recent memory loss after injury. Some patients may experience varying degrees of headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, blindness, and other clinical symptoms. If a patient with concussion experiences dizziness, the first step is to rule out the possibility of intracranial organic lesions through examination of the head and body. Then, the patient should rest in bed in a quiet environment with dim lighting. Additionally, symptomatic treatment with medications, including some that expand cerebral blood vessels, can be administered.

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Is a concussion serious?

Concussion is usually a mild condition where the brain has been injured. Clinically, it manifests as temporary disturbances in consciousness, typically not exceeding half an hour. Another symptom is recent memory loss, as the individual cannot recall the events during the injury. There may also be a decrease in blood pressure or pallor at the time of the injury. Following the injury, symptoms such as dizziness, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, memory decline, lack of concentration, or tinnitus can occur. Generally, with 1-2 weeks of treatment, most people can recover from a concussion, so it is not considered a very serious condition.