How to Identify the Symptoms of Severe Concussions

The relative severity of a concussion is divided into five grades, with Grade I being the mildest and Grade V the most serious. It is important to monitor someone who's suffered a head injury very closely, as many symptoms of severe concussions don't appear for several days after the injury was suffered.

Things You'll Need

• Physician

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Call for immediate emergency medical attention if the victim loses consciousness, especially for a prolonged period (5 minutes or more). Sustained unconsciousness is associated with concussions of Grade III and up. However, the American Academy of Neurology stresses that it is possible for a concussion as mild as Grade II to result in permanent brain injury.

• 2

  Determine whether or not the victim is suffering from memory loss. Concussion victims almost always cannot remember the actual moment when the concussion happened. However, an inability to remember things that happened before the concussion was sustained, or difficulty remembering things that happened after they regained consciousness, are both signals that the concussion may be severe.

• 3

  Consider any concussion symptoms lasting for longer than 15 minutes to be a sign that the victim's injury is serious. Typical acute concussion symptoms include confusion, slurred speech, nausea, dizziness and headache.

• 4

  Talk to a doctor if you identify any of the following symptoms in the days following the initial injury: imbalance, loss of smell or taste, difficulties with memory or cognitive function, nausea, vomiting, mood swings and trouble sleeping. Also, if the victim is easily irritated by noise, even of a moderate level, or reacts harshly to bright environments, seek medical advice.

• 5

  Identify the rarer but more serious symptoms associated with severe concussions. These include persistent ringing in the ears and uneven sizes of the pupils in the eyes, and can point to the presence of internal bleeding in the head.

• 6

  Have a doctor evaluate your case within 72 hours of the initial injury to give yourself the best chance of making a complete recovery. It is also very important for patients to continue to receive supplementary medical care following the injury, even if they are asymptomatic.