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Published on: June 20, 2017
The Relationship Between Sex, Fatigue, and Post-Concussion Symptoms Differs Between Those With Mild Traumatic Brain
Jacqueline F I Anderson1, Amy S Jordan
1Author Affiliations: Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (Dr Anderson, Jordan); Psychology Department, The Alfred hospital, Commercial Rd, Prahran, Victoria, Australia (Dr Anderson); and Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Health, Studley Rd, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia (Jordan).
Female sex and fatigue contribute to post-concussion symptoms (PCS) after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), but not after other injuries. Psychological status impacts PCS reporting across all injury groups.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Trauma Research
- Psychology
Background:
- Sex, fatigue, and sleep disruption are linked to poor recovery after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).
- It remains unclear if these associations are unique to mTBI patients compared to other trauma groups.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if factors like sex and fatigue uniquely predict post-concussion symptom (PCS) reporting in mTBI patients.
- To compare these relationships in individuals with mTBI versus those with systemic trauma but no head injury, and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- An observational study assessed 208 healthy adults using validated questionnaires for fatigue, sleep quality, depression, anxiety, and PCS.
- Participants included mTBI (n=86), trauma controls (TC, n=46), and healthy controls (HC, n=76).
Main Results:
- mTBI and TC groups reported higher fatigue, sleep disturbance, and PCS than HC.
- Female sex and general tiredness significantly predicted PCS in the mTBI group, but not in control groups.
- Psychological status was the only consistent predictor of PCS across all groups.
Conclusions:
- The heightened reporting of PCS in females post-trauma appears specific to mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).
- Specific fatigue components, but not all, independently predict PCS, with variations across groups.
- Further research is needed to explore the biological and socio-environmental factors contributing to increased PCS in females after mTBI.
