Concussion symptoms are no worse or more frequent in precollegiate athletes than they are for those in college, according to a study published online last week in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics.
The study focused on 184 male and female athletes: Half were between 13 and 16 years old and half were 18 to 22. The athletes were matched in gender, number of previous concussions, and time till their first post-concussion tests.
Both at baseline and post-concussion, there were no statistically significant differences between the two age groups in the number of symptoms or their severity. A majority of athletes in both groups returned to baseline within 30 days of their injuries, but it took an average of a day longer for younger athletes to return to baseline.
