Jan 8, 2025
One in five children in the U.S. will suffer a concussion by age 16, most often caused by falls, sports injuries, and motor-vehicle accidents. Dr. Karin Reuter-Rice, PhD, CPNP-AC, FCCM, FAAN, associate professor of nursing and pediatrics, is conducting a 5-year study exploring the long-term effects of concussions in adolescents.
"Research on concussions in adolescents has generally focused on the days and weeks immediately following the injury," Reuter-Rice said. "Little is known beyond the acute stage." Importantly, there are underexplored symptoms such as persistent fatigue, which more than 73% of patients with concussions complain, or biological markers associated with symptoms that have yet to be fully identified within the context of longer-term effects concussions have on academic and social outcomes.