Sex Differences in Sex Hormone Profiles and Prediction of Consciousness Recovery After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

Conclusion: These findings indicate that TBI differentially affects the levels of sex-steroid hormones in men and women patients. Plasma levels of testosterone could be a good candidate blood marker to predict recovery from unconsciousness after sTBI for male patients. Introduction Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability worldwide and is increasing in incidence (1). Patients with acute severe TBI (sTBI) often develop severe disorders of consciousness, i.e., coma, minimally conscious state or vegetative state. Although many patients may regain consciousness during the 1-month post-TBI period, the minimal conscious state may also develop into a chronic and even permanent state (2). Early detection of consciousness in patients with TBI could predict subsequent recovery of neurological function since early recovery of consciousness is closely related to better long-term functional outcomes (3). However, there is an ongoing debate about the clinical assessment of consciousness, which relies on inferences obtained from observed responses to external stimuli. This clinical evaluation of consciousness may be erroneous in 40% of patients, since the responses of patients with severe brain damage may be very limited (4, 5). In addition, rehabilitative care will be limitedly accessible to those who are inaccurately identified as poor prognoses due to the lack of a tool for predicting consciousness recovery (6). Hence, it is crucial to find a biomarke...
Source: Frontiers in Endocrinology - Category: Endocrinology Source Type: research