CDC unveils new guidelines for treatment of concussions
Sep 6, 2018, 5:59 PM
PHOENIX — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released what it called the first-ever national guidelines for treating concussions.
The CDC said the guidelines are intended to provide doctors with tools they need to ensure the best outcomes for young patients with a mild traumatic brain injury.
Dr. Javier Cardenas, director of the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, said the recommendation against using X-rays on concussion patients makes sense.
“X-rays of the skull are not useful,” Cardenas said Thursday. “Second, CT scans of the brain should be done only in an emergency situation.”
Cardenas said parents should allow medical professionals to decide if a CT scan is necessary.
“It’s not to diagnose a concussion,” he said. “It’s to look for a skull fracture, a bleed. Something more serious that needs to be evaluated at that time.”
Cardenas said the vast majority of people with concussions get better within one to three months.
He said for those who don’t get better, medical professionals should look at risk factors such as anxiety, migraine headaches and depression.
The CDC’s guidelines are for concussions from all causes, including falls, sports and car accidents. They recommend rest from physical and mental activity including school and sports immediately after a concussion, gradually resuming normal routines.
In addition to recommendations against X-rays and CT scans, the guidelines include:
- Blood tests for detecting concussion haven’t been proven to work and shouldn’t be done outside of research.
- Most children’s symptoms clear up within one to three months but recovery varies and can be delayed in kids who’ve had previous concussions.
- Teens, kids with learning difficulties and those with mental illness all tend to recover more slowly than young children.
- Rest, the main treatment, is recommended for the first three days but inactivity beyond that may worsen symptoms.
- Children with undiagnosed concussions are at risk for another one and longer recovery times.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
