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Research Article

Anterior pituitary dysfunction in moderate-to-severe chronic traumatic brain injury patients and the influence on functional outcome

, , , & , MD, PhD
Pages 1330-1335 | Received 03 Feb 2010, Accepted 05 Jul 2010, Published online: 09 Sep 2010
 

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of anterior pituitary dysfunction in moderate-to-severe chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. The investigation of a relationship between pituitary hormonal status and body mass index (BMI) in TBI patients by observing changes in BMI was conducted as well as an assessment of whether there is a difference in functional outcome related to anterior pituitary dysfunction in TBI patients.

Methods: Forty-five TBI patients and 30 normal controls underwent a series of standard endocrine tests for anterior pituitary hormone function. It was studied whether changes in BMI correlated with anterior pituitary hormone levels. This study also compared changes in mini-mental state examination (K-MMSE) and functional independence measure (FIM) scores between patients in the hormone-sufficient and -deficient groups.

Results: Anterior pituitary dysfunction was found in 31.1% of TBI patients. Changes in BMI statistically correlated with IGF-1 and basal cortisol levels. A meaningful difference was found between the hormone-sufficient and -deficient groups in light of the K-MMSE and FIM score gains.

Conclusions: These findings strongly suggest that patients who suffer head trauma should be routinely tested for anterior pituitary hormone deficiency.

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