Do male and female adolescents report symptoms differently after concussion?

ABSTRACT

We investigated sex-based differences in the presence and severity of aggregated symptom indicators as well as individual concussion symptoms.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional examination of sex differences in symptoms reported by adolescents upon initial concussion evaluation at a concussion clinic. Nine hundred and eighty-six adolescents completed the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT5) symptom checklist. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for differences in the presence and severity of symptoms, respectively. Sex differences in global indices of symptom distress were compared.

Results: Females endorsed more symptoms (Female: Median (M)=15, Interquartile range (IQR):9–18 vs. Male: M=11, IQR: 6–15, p<0.001) and a greater total symptom score (Female: M=37, IQR:16–45 vs. Male: M=20, IQR:8–39). After False Discovery Rate (FDR) adjustment, females endorsed the presence of 21 of 22 individual symptoms more frequently than males (p≤ 0.039), with greater symptom severity for 20 of 22 individual symptoms (p≤0.036). Moderate ESs were observed for sex-based differences in the total symptom score and the global severity index. Small ESs was observed for differences in most individual symptoms.

Conclusions: The greater frequency and severity of concussion symptoms reported by female adolescents highlights the importance of considering sex as a modifier for the management of concussion.

KEYWORDS:

• sex
• sport Concussion Assessment Tool
• SCAT5
• mTBI
• mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Learning Health System workgroup at the University of Michigan’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation for their assistance. The authors thank Mary Wise for her assistance in data extraction.

Reprints

Bara Alsalaheen, PT, PhD

Sources of funding

None

Declarations of Interest

No funding was not supported by any funding.This data was never presented before as an abstract or a poster.Data is available for sharing upon request.