Tolerance for light and sound of patients with persistent post-concussional symptoms 6 months after mild head injury

Patients with post-concussional symptoms (PCS) about 6 months after a mild head injury (MHI) were examined for tolerance of light and sound in comparison with concussed patients without PCS and nonconcussed healthy controls. MHI patients with PCS were individually matched with subjects from the two control groups for the time elapsed from the injury, and for age and sex. Using a computerized rating technique, we assessed both the maximal and submaximal levels of lowered tolerance for light and sound over a wide range of stimuli. We found that the MHI patients with PCS 6 months after the trauma (n=11) tolerated significantly less well stimuli of intensities of 71 dB and 500 lx than MHI patients without PCS (n=11) and non-concussed controls (n=11). There were no significant differences in tolerance for light and sound between MHI patients without PCS and the non-injured controls. Decreased tolerance for light and sound may contribute to the persistence of symptoms up to 6 months after a mild head injury. The psychophysical method provides an objective measure for the evaluation of the late persistent postconcussional syndrome.