Children's Concussion Crisis? Study Finds Dramatic Rise in ER Visits

(Aug. 31) -- Just a heads-up: The number of children admitted to the emergency room with concussions has soared dramatically over the past decade, largely because of high-intensity sporting activities such as football, skateboarding and skiing, a new study finds.

Surprisingly, the surge occurred as more children nationwide were leading increasingly sedentary lifestyles. Just what accounts for the worrisome rise in child concussions, and what steps are being taken to mitigate it? Surge Desk takes a look:

How drastically have ER visits increased, and which kids were most at risk?

For kids between 8 and 13, rates of ER admission doubled. Numbers were even more startling for older youths: They were hospitalized 200 percent more often in 2007, compared with 1997.

And researchers, whose decade-long investigation is published in this month's Pediatrics, concluded that team sports -- like football and hockey -- were the culprit for around half of all teenage concussions. Younger kids were more likely to suffer concussions due to individual sporting endeavors, like skateboarding and cycling.

Can childhood concussions have a long-term impact?

Absolutely, and research is using new medical technology to determine exactly how serious they can be.

Concussive trauma during childhood is linked to learning difficulties, as well as headaches, depression and even early-onset dementia among middle-aged adults. Chronic concussions were also recently tied to an increased risk of developing ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease.

Younger children are most likely to suffer ongoing deleterious effects from concussions, because their brains are still developing.

What's behind this 10-year increase?

That's an open question, but researchers are suggesting a combination of several factors.

Kids today are, quite simply, larger than they were a decade ago. In impact sports, an extra 20 pounds can make a major difference in the force behind a hit.

"So an 8-year-old may be the size of what a 10-year-old was 10 years ago," Dr. Lisa Bakhos, who led the study, told NPR. "You're looking at much greater injuries when you have a smaller child banging into a larger child."

Organized sports have reportedly also taken on an unprecedented competitive fervor, which might account for rougher playing and more injuries.

But the good news is that media coverage and education initiatives likely mean more parents are taking concussive injury seriously. Kids who might once have gone undiagnosed, and returned to play too soon, are now getting medical care.

Do kids need to get off the football field?

Not necessarily, but with 500,000 concussive injuries reported to ERs between 2001 and 2005, better preventive measures are clearly needed.

In terms of equipment, that means top-notch and properly fitted padding and helmets. And not merely for organized, high-impact sports like football. This study offers a stark reminder that solo activities, like biking and skateboarding, can also spur concussive injuries.

Preventive measures can also keep injured kids from suffering long-term damage. The study's authors caution parents and coaches to take potential concussions seriously and sideline players at the first sign of symptoms -- which can include a dazed feeling, headache and vomiting -- and keep them out of game play pending a doctor's approval.

"No athlete should go back to play on the same day they have their concussion," Dr. Mark Halstead, co-author of the American Academy of Pediatrics' new guidelines on concussions, told Health Day. "We recommend athletes who have a concussion be evaluated by a medical professional before they return to play."