Traumatic Brain Injury and Metabolic Dysfunction Among Head Injured Patients in a Tertiary Hospital in North-Central Nigeria

Abstract

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a common health problem which is one of the main causes of chronic disability and it is associated with hormonal and metabolic disorders. This work was carried out to investigate the relationship between some stress hormones (i.e. prolactin and cortisol) and plasma glucose level in TBI patients. Twenty-five TBI patients were included in the study consecutively. All patients underwent basal hormonal and plasma glucose evaluation within 24 hours of admission. One of the patients died during the acute phase. The results of the study show that prolactin and glucose levels were positively correlated with the Glasgow Coma Scale (GSC). Cortisol levels were observed to be highest in the moderate TBI group with GSC score of 9-13. The results also showed that 80% (20 patients) of the patients were age 40 years and below and 84% (21 patients) were males. In conclusion, present data show that prolactin, cortisol and plasma glucose are disturbed in TBI. The disturbances in the levels of prolactin and glucose are related to the severity of TBI. However, there is no direct relationship between cortisol and severity of TBI. Our results also show that TBI is more common in males and young people.