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Sex Differences Across Concussion Characteristics in US Service Academy Cadets: A CARE Consortium Study.
Louise A Kelly1, J B Caccese2, D Jain3
1Department of Exercise Science, California Lutheran University, #3400, 60 W. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks, CA, 91360, USA. lakelly@callutheran.edu.
Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)
|July 12, 2024
Summary
Female cadets experienced more concussions outside of sports and military activities, with longer recovery times. Male cadets had more concussions with loss of consciousness, posttraumatic amnesia, and retrograde amnesia, but reported injuries faster.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Neurology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Concussion characteristics can differ between sexes.
- Understanding these differences is crucial for effective prevention and management strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To delineate sex-based variations in concussion characteristics among US Service Academy cadets.
- To identify specific differences in injury circumstances, recovery patterns, and symptom presentation between male and female cadets.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive epidemiology study was conducted at four US service academies.
- Data from 2209 cadets (867 female, 1342 male) were analyzed.
- Injury Proportion Ratios (IPR) were used to compare concussion characteristics by sex, including injury situation, diagnosis certainty, recovery duration, and symptom presentation.
Main Results:
- Males had a higher proportion of concussions from varsity sports and intramurals, while females had more from non-sport/military activities.
- Females experienced proportionally longer recovery times compared to males.
- Males showed a higher proportion of concussions involving altered mental status, loss of consciousness (LOC), posttraumatic amnesia (PTA), and retrograde amnesia (RGA).
Conclusions:
- Significant sex differences exist in concussion occurrence and characteristics within a military cadet population.
- Females are more likely to sustain concussions outside of organized sports/training and have prolonged recovery, whereas males exhibit higher rates of severe acute symptoms like LOC, PTA, and RGA.
- Factors contributing to these differences may include injury mechanisms, biopsychosocial states, and reporting behaviors, with potential stigma influencing delayed reporting in females outside observed settings.
