Sex Differences in Recovery Trajectories of Assessments for Sport-Related Concussion Among NCAA Athletes: A CARE Consortium Study.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to determine sex differences in recovery trajectories of assessments for sport-related concussion using Concussion Assessment, Research and Education (CARE) Consortium data.

METHODS

National Collegiate Athletic Association athletes (N = 906; 61% female) from sex-comparable sports completed a pre-season baseline assessment and post-sport-related concussion assessments within 6 h of injury, 24-48 h, when they initiated their return to play progression, when they were cleared for unrestricted return to play, and 6 months post-injury. Assessments included the Standardized Assessment of Concussion, Balance Error Scoring System, Brief Symptom Inventory-18, Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT), Sport Concussion Assessment Tool-3 symptom evaluation, Clinical Reaction Time, King-Devick test, Vestibular Ocular Motor Screen, 12-item Short-Form Health Survey, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Satisfaction with Life Scale.

RESULTS

Only the Vestibular Ocular Motor Screen Total Symptom Score at the 24-48 h timepoint (p = 0.005) was statistically significantly different between sexes. Specifically, female athletes (mean = 60.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 51.5-70.4) had higher Vestibular Ocular Motor Screen Total Symptom Scores than male athletes (mean = 36.9, 95% CI 27.6-49.3), but this difference resolved by the time of return-to-play initiation (female athletes, mean = 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-2.9; male athletes, mean = 4.1, 95% CI 1.5-10.9).

CONCLUSIONS

Sport-related concussion recovery trajectories for most assessments were similar for female and male National Collegiate Athletic Association athletes except for Vestibular Ocular Motor Screen symptoms within 48 h of sport-related concussion, which was greater in female athletes. Female athletes had a greater symptom burden across all timepoints, suggesting that cross-sectional observations may indicate sex differences despite similar recovery trajectories.