• Gianluca Aimaretti, Maria Rosaria Ambrosio, Carolina Di Somma, Maurizio Gasperi, Salvatore Cannavò, Carla Scaroni, Alessandra Fusco, Patrizia Del Monte, Ernesto De Menis, Marco Faustini-Fustini, Franco Grimaldi, Francesco Logoluso, Paola Razzore, Silvia Rovere, Salvatore Benvenga, Ettore Ciro Degli Uberti, Laura De Marinis, Gaetano Lombardi, Franco Mantero, Enio Martino, Giulio Giordano, and Ezio Ghigo.
• Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Turin, C.so Dogliotti, 14, 10126 Turin, Italy.
• J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 2005 Nov 1; 90 (11): 6085-92.

ContextTraumatic brain injury (TBI) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) are conditions at high risk for the development of hypopituitarism.ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to clarify whether pituitary deficiencies and normal pituitary function recorded at 3 months would improve or worsen at 12 months after the brain injury.Design And PatientsPituitary function was tested at 3 and 12 months in patients who had TBI (n = 70) or SAH (n = 32).ResultsIn TBI, the 3-month evaluation had shown hypopituitarism (H) in 32.8%. Panhypopituitarism (PH), multiple (MH), and isolated (IH) hypopituitarism had been demonstrated in 5.7, 5.7, and 21.4%, respectively. The retesting demonstrated some degree of H in 22.7%. PH, MH, and IH were present in 5.7, 4.2, and 12.8%, respectively. PH was always confirmed at 12 months, whereas MH and IH were confirmed in 25% only. In 5.5% of TBI with no deficit at 3 months, IH was recorded at retesting. In 13.3% of TBI with IH at 3 months, MH was demonstrated at 12-month retesting. In SAH, the 3-month evaluation had shown H in 46.8%. MH and IH had been demonstrated in 6.2 and 40.6%, respectively. The retesting demonstrated H in 37.5%. MH and IH were present in 6.2 and 31.3%, respectively. Although no MH was confirmed at 12 months, two patients with IH at 3 months showed MH at retesting; 30.7% of SAH with IH at 3 months displayed normal pituitary function at retesting. In SAH, normal pituitary function was always confirmed. In TBI and SAH, the most common deficit was always severe GH deficiency.ConclusionThere is high risk for H in TBI and SAH patients. Early diagnosis of PH is always confirmed in the long term. Pituitary function in brain-injured patients may improve over time but, although rarely, may also worsen. Thus, brain-injured patients must undergo neuroendocrine follow-up over time.

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