If there is such a thing as a ‘mild’ or ‘moderate’ traumatic brain injury, concussion is it. Whilst the description may seem to downplay the reality, the coverage of the impact of recurring concussions in the sports arena in the last couple of years has led to far more awareness of the potential long term effects of concussion.
It can, however, be difficult to diagnose concussion definitively because not only does it tend to rely on observed or reported symptoms, but those symptoms can take several days to become apparent and for patients to seek help. And until a proper diagnosis is made, it’s impossible to prescribe the appropriate treatment.
However it has been reported that researchers in Florida have identified a biomarker released by the brain into the blood stream that can be detected up to seven days after a head injury through a simple blood test.
The test could provide doctors with an important tool for simply and accurately diagnosing those patients affected by mild to moderate brain injury, particularly children, according to the lead author of the study, Linda Papa, MD, MSC.
When cross-checked with scans, the blood test proved 97% accurate in adults, and also indicated which patients were in need of life-saving surgery.
The blood test could also dramatically reduce the need for expensive CT scans which also carry the risk of radiation exposure.
Source article: Sciencedaily.com, 28 March 2016
