title: The influence of gender on the injury severity, course and outcome of traumatic brain injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the independent association of gender with injury severity, clinical course, pituitary dysfunction and outcome after traumatic brain injury (TBI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort, analysis of a data sub-set collected as part of the nation-wide database 'The Structured Data Assessment of Hypopituitarism after TBI and SAH'.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four hundred and twenty-seven patients following TBI were observed from acute care through neurological rehabilitation. Outcome was measured by Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS), employment status and living situation post-injury. As a secondary outcome measure anterior pituitary function was assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no differences in injury severity between men and women. Age had a significant effect on the GCS score (p = 0.0295), but gender did not (p = 0.4105). The outcome was equivalent between men and women once corrected for age. Logistic regression revealed that gender had no effect (p = 0.8008), but age (p = 0.0021) and initial injury severity (p = 0.0010) had an effect on the GOS. After correcting for pre-injury living situation and employment only initial injury severity (p = 0.0005) influenced GOS. Pituitary insufficiency was not affected by sex or age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gender does not seem to influence the course and outcome of TBI. Outcome parameters were affected foremost by initial injury severity and by age, but not by sex.
authors.affiliation: NRZ Neurological Rehabilitation Center, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. renner@sachsenklinik.de
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Renner
authors.forename: Horst
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hummelsheim
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kopczak
authors.forename: Diethard
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Steube
authors.forename: Harald J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Ilonka
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kreitschmann-Andermahr
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.forename: Eberhard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Uhl
authors.forename: Günter K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Stalla
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D023261:Glasgow Outcome Scale; D006801:Humans; D007018:Hypopituitarism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020127:Recovery of Function; D055815:Young Adult