Study: Saliva Test May Help Diagnose Lingering Concussion Symptoms

Diagnosing and managing concussions can be challenging, especially in children who often have a hard time articulating what they are experiencing. Now, researchers in Ohio are studying a unique method that may help predict which children will experience lingering symptoms.

High school football player Thomas Helsel is used to taking hits, but, two years ago, he was sidelined with a concussion. “It was a blindside hit to the back of the head. I just remember laying on the ground and people surrounding me and I was a little bit dizzy and confused,” he says.

Thomas says the recovery process was slow. “I experienced a lot of headaches right after the fact, some troubles thinking and focusing on certain issues sometimes, especially in school. And I want to say that lasted a couple of months.”

Most symptoms usually resolve in a few weeks, but up to one-third of children develop persistent symptoms, such as headache, nausea, dizziness, blurry vision and light/sound sensitivity

Now, researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital find saliva may help identify which children are at higher risk of lingering symptoms. “In the saliva, we're looking for these molecules called microRNAs. There's 800 different ones that we're looking at,” said Katherine Miller, PhD, Principal Investigator at Nationwide Children's Hospital.

Researchers identified 13 that were different in the group of children that had prolonged concussion recovery compared to the group that did not. Dr. Miller envisions this noninvasive method could be administered on the sideline. “This could be indicative of some sort of biological event, some sort of reaction that this child is having, that their body is responding differently than other children who have typical recovery,” she said.

Thomas took part in the research and he wants teens to know they should take a head injury seriously. “I think you just need to go get it checked out,” he said.

Children who experience persistent concussion symptoms are more likely to miss school and have depressed moods, which can all lead to lower quality of life, according to researchers.