Researchers examined recovery from postconcussion syndrome (PCS) in a series of 285 patients diagnosed with concussion based on international sport concussion criteria who received a questionnaire regarding recovery. Of 141 respondents, those with postconcussion symptoms lasting less than 3 months, a positive computed tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), litigants, and known Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM)-positive cases were excluded, leaving 110 eligible respondents.
Only 27% of our population eventually recovered and 67% of those who recovered did so within the first year. Notably, no eligible respondent recovered from PCS lasting 3 years or longer. They found a strong association between the total number of symptoms reported, headaches (68.8%), difficulty concentrating (67.5%), and fatigue (52.5%), and the time to recovery. Symptoms appear in a predictable order and each additional PCS symptom reduces recovery rate by 20%.
Read more at: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/neu.2016.4677?