Relationship between injury severity, random blood glucose and management outcome in a cohort of Nigerian patients with head injury

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to evaluate the relationship between injury severity, admission Random Blood Glucose [RBG] and management outcome in a cohort of Nigerian patients with Head Injury [HI]. MATERIALS AND METHODS: RBG was determined at admission, twenty four hours as well as seventy two hours after admission in patients with head injury. Severity of injury was graded using Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). Outcome of management was determined by Glasgow Outcome Score at discharge. Serum glucose level of ≥ 11.1 mmol/l was taken as hyperglycaemia. Analyses of variance [ANOVA] was used to determine level of significance and a P value of < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: There were 146 male and 30 female patients (range: 2 years to 78 years; mean; 34.4 years, SD: 16.4 years). Most (36.4%) of the patients had severe HI. Only 2.5% of the patients had hyperglycaemia at admission. Death occurred in 25% of the patients, moderate disability occurred in 30.1% and good outcome occurred in 35.8%. Hyperglycaemia occurred in one patient each in mild and severe head injuries and in two patients with moderate head injury. All the patients with hyperglycaemia had favourable outcome. CONCLUSION: Random blood glucose of ≥ 11.1 mmol/l was not common at admission in head injured patients in this cohort of patients and the value was not associated with severe injury or poor outcome.