Posttraumatic Severe Chronic Headache: An Adolescent with Postconcussion Syndrome

Abstract

Post-concussion syndrome (PCS), apart from occurring in the wake of mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in general, may also occur as the result of moderate TBIs. PCS patients may exhibit symptoms of physical, psychiatric (emotional and behavioral) and cognitive inabilities. Patients, except for the 10%, make a full recovery between 3-6 months. While patients with PCS show vitally acute symptoms at the outset, the clinical recovery is dramatically good. A fifteen-year-old female patient who had undergone a head trauma as the result of falling down from height showed a clinically dramatic recovery after an 18-day-treatment of intensive care. We aimed to draw the attention to the association between the psychiatric findings that appeared to be likely to be associated with negative life events and the clinical picture of a post-traumatic severe headache resistant to treatment. This clinical picture, when dealt with the holistic multidisciplinary approach, may indicate PCS to us.

Keywords

• Headache, postconcussion syndrome, trauma

Posttraumatic Severe Chronic Headache: An Adolescent with Postconcussion Syndrome

Abstract

Post-concussion syndrome (PCS), apart from occur­ring in the wake of mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in general, may also occur as the result of moderate TBIs. PCS patients may exhibit symptoms of physical, psychi­atric (emotional and behavioral) and cognitive inabilities. Patients, except for the 10%, make a full recovery be­tween 3-6 months. While patients with PCS show vitally acute symptoms at the outset, the clinical recovery is dra­matically good. A fifteen-year-old female patient who had undergone a head trauma as the result of falling down from height showed a clinically dramatic recovery after an 18-day-treatment of intensive care. We aimed to draw the attention to the association be­tween the psychiatric findings that appeared to be likely to be associated with negative life events and the clinical picture of a post-traumatic severe headache resistant to treatment. This clinical picture, when dealt with the ho­listic multidisciplinary approach, may indicate PCS to us.

Keywords

• Başağrısı, postkonküzyon sendromu, travma

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