Late evaluation of the pituitary-gonadal axis in survivors of severe traumatic brain injury

Objective:The purpose of this study is to evaluate pituitary function impairment in order to verify the prevalence of sex hormone deficiency and to analyze the profile of TBI population. Methods: Thirty patients were studied, 22 were male and 8 were female. All patients had their gonadal function assessed and they were evaluated at a median of 4 years post-trauma. Results: The average age of the men was 38 years at the time of the evaluation, while the mean age of women was 42 years. The majority of TBI was related to traffic accidents (63.3%). Three patients (10%) had low FSH and only 1 patient (3.3%) had low LH. There was no biochemical evidence of hypogonadism in women. Two male patients presented low testosterone (9.1%) and were diagnosed with hypogonadism. Prolactin levels were normal in all patients. Conclusion: Two cases of hypogonadism (9.1%) were diagnosed among men in this study. It is therefore necessary that medical professionals involved in the management of TBI patients are aware of hypogonadism as a complication of TBI, in order to diagnose it early. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metab. 2009;53(8):1012-19