Evaluation of pituitary function in cases with the diagnosis of pediatric mild traumatic brain injury: Cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: This study was to determine whether pituitary dysfunction occurs after head trauma in children or not and which axis is affected more; to define the association of pituitary dysfunction with the severity of head trauma and duration time after the diagnosis of head trauma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 24 children who were diagnosed with head trauma were evaluated regarding pituitary dysfunction. In all cases, after 12 h fasting, serum cortisol, fT3, fT4, thyroid-stimulating hormone, prolactin, insulin-like growth factor-1, serum sodium, urine density, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, in female cases E(2), in male cases, TT levels were determined. RESULTS: Mean age of children was 9.5 ± 3.1 years, 14 children (58.3%) had mild, 9 children (37.5%) had moderate, and 1 children (4.2%) had severe head trauma according to the Glasgow coma scale. Mean duration time after head trauma was 29.4 ± 9.8 months. In all cases, no pathologic condition was determined in the pituitary hormonal axis. In one children (4.2%), low basal cortisol level was found. There were no children with hormonal deficiency in this study. CONCLUSION: Although pituitary dysfunction after head trauma may develop in the early period, some may present in the late period; therefore, all cases should be followed up at outpatient clinics for a longer period.