Yet another reason to really, really, really take
concussion in kids seriously.
“Concussion” is a term that is gradually being replaced by
the term “traumatic brain injury” in large part because the latter is a much
better expression of what happens when you get your bell rung, and in part,
too, I guess because it sounds more serious when it’s called a traumatic brain
injury so perhaps we’ll finally pay these injuries the attention they’ve long
deserved, especially in kids.
TBIs have been linked not only to potentially serious
immediate consequences – reduced ability to perform, reduced cognition,
significantly higher risk of re-injury – but also to longer term serious
consequences, particularly those on
cognition and memory.
And now, in a new study published in the journal Neurology, researchers have linked
traumatic brain injuries to a future higher risk of stroke, especially in
younger individuals, those under age 65.
How significant is this link?
According to the lead researcher,” the overall link between
TBI and stroke was . . . as large as the link between the strongest stroke risk
factor, high blood pressure.”
Keep your kids – and yourself – protected as best you can
from head injury, starting with more attention to protecting the head in
sports, not to mention with always wearing a helmet on a bike and on the ski
hill – yes, you, and not just your kids.
