Concussion terminology change urged

HAMILTON, Ontario, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Canadian researchers suggest doctors use the term "mild traumatic brain injury" instead of concussion because people do not seem to take concussions seriously.

The study, to be published in the journal Pediatrics in February, found children who receive the concussion label returned to school sooner than their counterparts diagnosed as having mild head injuries. Returning to activities too quickly puts patients at greater risk for a second injury and poor performance, researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton said.

"Our study suggests that if a child is given a diagnosis of a concussion, the family is less likely to consider it an actual injury to the brain," study leader Carol DeMatteo said in a statement.

DeMatteo and colleagues analyzed medical records for 434 children admitted to McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton during a two-year period with acquired brain injury.

Of the 341 children with traumatic brain injury, 300 children had a severity score recorded using a system that provides an overall score for patients with multiple injuries, and out of that group 32 percent received a diagnosis of concussion.