The association between preexisting anxiety, depression, and/or neurodevelopmental disorders and symptom duration among younger children who sustain concussions is not well known. The authors conducted a prospective cohort study of 569 patients presenting to a pediatric neurology clinic with the diagnosis of concussion. The authors measured associations between symptom duration and premorbid conditions, as well as gender, age, mechanism of injury, and other factors. Premorbid conditions were common in both age groups. On univariate modeling female gender, age >12 years, and premorbid conditions were associated with longer symptom duration. On multivariable modeling, females and patients ≤12 years old with a history of headaches, migraines, or a history of psychiatric conditions took significantly longer to recover than those without such conditions. Premorbid conditions are associated with a prolonged recovery from concussion among those patients ≤12 years old.

Objective:To describe the collaborative findings across a broad array of subspecialties in children and adolescents with postconcussion syndrome (PCS) in a pediatric multidisciplinary concussion clinic (MDCC) setting.Design:Retrospective analysis.Setting:Multidisciplinary concussion clinic at a pediatric tertiary-level hospital.Patients:Fifty-seven patients seen in MDCC for evaluation and management of PCS between June 2014 and January 2016.Interventions:Clinical evaluation by neurology, sports medicine, otolaryngology, optometry, ophthalmology, physical therapy, and psychology.Main Outcome Measures:Specialty-specific clinical findings and specific, treatable diagnoses relevant to PCS symptoms.Results:A wide variety of treatable, specialty-specific diagnoses were identified as potential contributing factors to patients' postconcussion symptoms. The most common treatable diagnoses included binocular vision dysfunction (76%), anxiety, (57.7%), depression (44.2%), new or change in refractive error (21.7%), myofascial pain syndrome (19.2%), and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (17.5%).Conclusions:Patients seen in a MDCC setting receive a high number of treatable diagnoses that are potentially related to patients' PCS symptoms. The MDCC approach may (1) increase access to interventions for PCS-related impairments, such as visual rehabilitation, physical therapy, and psychological counseling; (2) provide patients with coordinated medical care across specialties; and (3) hasten recovery from PCS.