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US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new statement Tuesday outlining updated guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of concussions in children. Fox News reports. By changing the standard diagnostic protocols, the new CDC recommendations suggest common diagnostic methods, such as x-rays and blood tests. Instead, parents and health care providers should watch for more serious signs of head trauma such as vomiting, loss of consciousness, and headaches that continue to increase in intensity. The CDC statement also reassures parents that most of the children's symptoms will subside after three months.
Concussions (or mild traumatic brain injury) are defined as brain trauma caused by a severe lump in the head. The most common signs are dizziness and severe headaches. Matthew Breiding, co-author of the CDC's new statement, is quoted as saying that many parents are misinformed about the signs to look for, saying they often think they need to "lose consciousness or be eliminated" for a concussion. .
The new statement from the CDC is the first evidence-based statement about concussions in children to be published and is backed by 25 years of research, says Fox News. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics has already provided evidence-based recommendations, these were limited to sports injuries and the return to school. Now, the CDC offers more detailed advice on all types of head injuries, from bike accidents to injuries in the home.
Clinicians: Take action to improve care for children with mTBI! the @CDCgov The ITB pediatric guidelines include the latest recommendations for diagnosis and management. https://t.co/Mg2ethcN0u #TBI #CDCHEADSUP pic.twitter.com/7GXx8oUFxz
– CDC Injury Center (@CDCInjury) September 4, 2018
Aditionellement, Fox News states that the CDC has proposed guidelines for monitoring concussions in children to improve future studies on the subject. With more than one million children developing concussions every year, follow-up data are scarce and the CDC wants to put in place better diagnostic procedures so that the US can treat children more effectively.
The following is a summary of the new CDC guidelines for mild brain injury (mild traumatic brain injury) available to health professionals:
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Do not systematically imagine patients to diagnose mild brain trauma.
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Use validated and age-appropriate symptom scales to diagnose TBI.
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Evaluate evidence-based risk factors for prolonged recovery.
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Provide patients with instructions on returning to an activity appropriate to their symptoms.
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Advise patients to progressively return to non-sporting activities after no more than 2-3 days of rest.
The CDC report also recommends that parents seek immediate medical attention for their children if they have worrisome concussion symptoms after being hit in the head: any signs of danger such as dizziness, irritability, repeated vomiting or trouble speech; to cry unceasingly or unable to console oneself; and refusal to feed or eat.
Another new recommendation states the importance for children to return to regular activity as soon as symptoms are mild or absent, and to limit the number of naps during the day when returning to the normal nap schedule.
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