Prevalence of anterior pituitary insufficiency 3 and 12 months after traumatic brain injury

Objective: Cross-sectional Studies report it high prevalence of hypopituitarism after traumatic brain injury (TBI): however, no longitudinal studies oil time of manifestation and reversibility exist. This Study was conducted to assess hypopituitarism 3 and 12 months after TBI. Design: This was it prospective. longitudinal, diagnostic study. Methods: Seventy-eight patients (52 men, 26 women, mean age 36.0 years) with TBI grades I-III and 3 8 healthy subjects (2 5 men. 13 women, mean age 36.4 years) as a control group for the GHRH + arginine test were studied. The prevalence of hypopituitarism was assessed 3 and 12 months after TBI by GHRH + arginine test, short adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) test, and basal hormone measurements in patients. Results: After 3 months. 56%, of all patients had impairment's of at least one pituitary axis with axes being affected its follows: gonadotropic 32%, corticotropic 19%, somatotropic 9% and thyrotropic 8%. After 12 months. fewer patients were affected. but ill some cases new impairments occurred: 36% still had impairments. The axes were affected its follows after 12 months: gonadotropic 21%, somatotropic 10%, corticotropic 9% and thyrotropic 3%. Conclusions: Hypopituitarism occurs often in the post-acute phase after TBI and may normalize later, but may also develop after the post-acute phase of TBI.