High prevalence of chronic pituitary and target-organ hormone abnormalities after blast-related mild traumatic brain injury.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Case-control study with a small sample
PubMed 22347210 · doi:10.3389/fneur.2012.00011
What was done
Assessed concentrations of 12 pituitary and target-organ hormones in male US combat veterans deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. The study compared participants with blast-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) whose last blast exposure was at least 1 year prior (n = 26) against a control group of veterans with similar deployment histories but without blast exposure.
What was found
Eleven of 26 (42%) veterans with blast-related mTBI had abnormal hormone concentrations in one or more pituitary axes. Five members of the blast mTBI group had markedly low age-adjusted insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels indicative of probable growth hormone deficiency, and three had testosterone and gonadotropin concentrations consistent with hypogonadism. Specific hormone numbers and sample size for the non-blast control group were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
Blast-related concussions may cause chronic neuroendocrine dysfunction at rates comparable to other traumatic brain injuries. Because hypopituitarism shares clinical features with PTSD, routine endocrine screening could uncover treatable hormone deficiencies in symptomatic veterans.
Limits
Small sample size of blast-exposed participants (n = 26) with no quantitative data or participant count reported for the control group in the abstract. Presumed growth hormone deficiency was based on baseline IGF-I rather than dynamic stimulation testing. The sample was restricted to male military veterans, limiting generalizability.
Cited by
- supports Head trauma and concussions can damage the anterior pituitary gland, leading to reduced testosterone and growth hormone production.