A comparison of complaints by mild brain injury claimants and other claimants describing subjective experiences immediately following their injury

This study compares the rate of postconcussive (PCS) symptoms at the time of injury for mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI; N=24) claimants and claimants reporting other forms of injury (OI; N=66). On checklists surveying their complaints immediately after their injury, MTBI and OI claimants reported similar levels of many PCS complaints, e.g., dazed, confused, dizzy, disoriented, trouble concentrating, numbness or loss of sensation, and loss of memory for some of what happened. One in four of the OI samples reported partial loss of consciousness (LOC), and one-third reported loss of memory for some of what happened. About 67% of the MTBI sample reported being confused and 71% dazed, but so did many of the OI sample (52% dazed, 65% confused). The authors suggest that classical PCS complaints experienced immediately after an injury are so nonspecific that they have little diagnostic specificity. (C) 2001 National Academy of Neuropsychology. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.