ABSTRACT

Objective: To present pre-injury, injury-related, work-related and post-injury characteristics, and to compare patients with and without traumatic intracranial abnormalities, in a treatment-seeking sample with persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS) after mild-to-moderate TBI.

Methods: Cross-sectional design in the context of a specialized TBI outpatient clinic. Eligible patients were aged 18–60 years, employed ≥ 50% at time of injury, and sick listed ≥ 50% at inclusion due to PPCS. Data were collected 8–12 weeks after injury through review of medical records, semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and neuropsychological screening.

Results: The study included 116 patients, of whom 60% were women, and predominantly white-collar workers in full-time positions. Ninety-four percent had a mild TBI, and 23% had intracranial abnormalities. The full sample reported high somatic, emotional, and cognitive symptom burden, and decreased health-related quality of life. Patients with normal CT/MRI results reported higher overall symptom burden, while patients with intracranial abnormalities had worse memory function.

Conclusion: Injury severity and traumatic intracranial radiological findings should not be the sole ground for planning of rehabilitation service provision in patients with PPCS, as subjective complaints do not necessarily co-vary with these variables.

摘要

目的：在轻度脑震荡后持续性脑震荡后症状 (PPCS) 的寻求治疗样本中，呈现受伤前、受伤相关、工作相关和受伤后的特征，并比较有无创伤性颅内异常的患者。至中度 TBI。

方法：在专门的 TBI 门诊环境中进行横断面设计。符合条件的患者年龄在 18-60 岁之间，受伤时就业率≥ 50%，由于 PPCS 入组时患病率≥ 50%。通过查阅病历、半结构化访谈、问卷和神经心理学筛查，在受伤后 8-12 周收集数据。

结果：该研究包括 116 名患者，其中 60% 是女性，主要是全职白领。94% 有轻度 TBI，23% 有颅内异常。完整样本报告了较高的躯体、情绪和认知症状负担，以及与健康相关的生活质量下降。CT/MRI 结果正常的患者总体症状负担较高，而颅内异常患者的记忆功能较差。

结论：损伤严重程度和创伤性颅内放射学检查结果不应成为 PPCS 患者康复服务计划的唯一依据，因为主观抱怨不一定与这些变量共变。