The impact of hypopituitarism on function and performance in subjects with recent history of traumatic brain injury and aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage.
OBJECTIVE
To correlate deficient pituitary function with life satisfaction and functional performance in subjects with a recent history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH).


METHODS
Cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Eighteen subjects with TBI and 16 subjects with SAH underwent pituitary hormonal and functional assessments 5-12 months following the event. Adrenal reserve was assessed with a 1 mcg cosyntropin stimulation test and growth hormone deficiency (GHD) was diagnosed by insufficient GH response to GHRH-Arginine stimulation. Assessments of life satisfaction and performance-function included the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique (CHART) and the Mayo Portland Adaptability Inventory-4 (MPAI-4).


RESULTS
Hypopituitarism was present in 20 (58.8%) subjects, including 50% with adrenal insufficiency. Hypothyroidism correlated with worse performance on SWLS and CHART measures. GHD was associated with poorer performance on CHART and MPAI-4 scale.


CONCLUSIONS
In this series of subjects with history of TBI and SAH, hypothyroidism and GHD were associated with diminished life satisfaction and performance-function on multiple assessments. Further studies are necessary to determine the appropriate testing of adrenal reserve in this population and to determine the benefit of pituitary hormone replacement therapy on function following brain injury.
Srinivasan
Lakshmi
L
Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
Roberts
Brian
B
Bushnik
Tamara
T
Englander
Jeffrey
J
Spain
David A
DA
Steinberg
Gary K
GK
Ren
Li
L
Sandel
M Elizabeth
ME
Al-Lawati
Zahraa
Z
Teraoka
Jeffrey
J
Hoffman
Andrew R
AR
Katznelson
Laurence
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000309:Adrenal Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007018:Hypopituitarism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult