Pituitary insufficiency after traumatic brain injury

After traumatic brain injury (TBI), patients present with psychological disorders that may be explained by post-traumatic pituitary insufficiency (PI). The goal of this study was to determine the relationship between hypopituitarism, neuropsychological changes and findings on CT scans after TBI. Hospital charts of 55 TBI patients were screened for age, Glasgow Coma Scale (GSC) score, hypoxia or hypotension. The first two CT scans were analyzed for hemorrhagic lesions. Basal levels of the following hormones were recorded: cortisol, prolactin, estradiol, testosterone, insulin-like growth factor 1 and free thyroxine. Hormonal stimulation tests were performed either if the basal hormone screening revealed an abnormality or if the patient answered “yes” to at least one question in the non-evaluated neuropsychological questionnaire. Overall, 14 out of 55 patients (25.4%) presented with PI; one of them with two hormonal deficits. Growth hormone deficit, hypothyroidism and hypocortisolism were found in one, one and two patients, respectively. Neuropsychological complaints were present in 67% of the patients and were associated with intracerebral hemorrhagic lesions and not PI. Neuropsychological complaints after TBI are more frequent than PI. Brain tissue damage is most important than PI in the development of psychological changes after TBI.