Mild Traumatic Brain Injury – An Exploration of the Post-Concussion Symptoms and Clinical Outcomes

Autor: Chi-Cheng Yang, 楊啟正
Rok vydání: 2008
Druh dokumentu: 學位論文 ; thesis
Popis: 97
Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is detrimental to patients’ social and occupational functions. Persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS) following mild TBI can also cause significant psychosocial problems, including stress in family relationships and difficulties in returning to work. However, previous studies that investigated the association between PPCS and functional outcomes were still limited. Methods: This dissertation is a composite of two major sections with four original studies. The first three studies systematically investigated the association between post-concussion symptoms (PCS) and clinical outcomes. The first prospective study explored the negative impact of PCS on clinical outcomes, while the second one tried to improve the methodological limitations of the previous investigation, and examined the relationship between PCS and patients’ quality of life. Accordingly, the third study further evaluated whether some psychological PPCS, such as irritability and memory deficits, adversely influenced the patients’ functional outcomes. On the other hand, the early clinical features of patients with PPCS have still been unclear. Hence, our last prospective study tried to identify the acute clinical characteristics of patients with PPCS. Results and Conclusions: The neurobehavioral dysfunctions following TBI were not uncommon. The PPCS following mild TBI could also compromise patients’ functional outcomes. Both the physical symptoms, such as dizziness, and the psychological ones, such as irritability and memory deficits, could be harmful to patients’ long-term clinical outcomes. Thus, the clinicians needed to identify the patients who suffered from PPCS as early as possible, and further explore a neuropsychological model to illustrate the cognitive and emotional disturbances after mild head traumas.
Databáze: Networked Digital Library of Theses & Dissertations