AANS Beyond 2021: Full Collection-Sex Differences In the Incidence, Severity, and Recovery of Concussion in Adolescent Student-Athletes from 2009-2019

Sex Differences In the Incidence, Severity, and Recovery of Concussion in Adolescent Student-Athletes from 2009-2019

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Video Summary

Zachary Spira, a third-year medical student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, presents research on sex differences in concussion incidence, severity, and recovery among adolescent student-athletes. Using a novel quantitative metric called the Severity Index, the study analyzed over 25,000 impact tests from athletes aged 12 to 22. The results showed that females had a higher incidence of concussion than males, with greater deviations from baseline in symptom scores and processing speed. Females also suffered more severe concussions, resulting in longer recovery times. However, controlling for initial concussion severity revealed no significant differences in recovery between genders. The study acknowledges limitations, such as the retrospective analysis and the imperfect nature of impact as a concussion proxy.

Keywords

Zachary Spira

medical student

concussion incidence

sex differences

adolescent student-athletes