Diagnostic and prognostic significance of the level of IgM antibodies to myelin basic protein in children with traumatic brain injury

Abstract

To study the content of antibodies to the basic protein of myelin IgM in the blood of children with traumatic brain injury for a comprehensive assessment of the severity and prediction of outcomes of TBI. 81 children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) of varying severity and 29 children of the comparison group aged 2 months to 18 years were examined, in whom the content of IgM antibodies in blood plasma was determined. In groups of children with different severity of TBI, the average content of IgM antibodies in the blood is higher than in children of the comparison group, and the values of IgM antibodies correlate with the severity of TBI. In children with moderate TBI, the average level of IgM antibodies in the blood is significantly higher than in children with mild TBI, and in children with severe TBI, the average level of IgM antibodies in the blood is significantly higher than in children with moderate TBI. A repeated study found a significant decrease in the average content of IgM antibodies in severe TBI in children without post-traumatic epilepsy compared to their average content in children with post-traumatic epilepsy. Normalization (elimination) of IgM antibodies in children in the late period of TBI is associated with a prognostically favorable course of the autoimmune process in the brain; its absence indicates a prolonged autoimmune process. After TBI, it is recommended to include in the examination of children an immunological study of the content of antibodies to the basic protein of myelin IgM in the blood, the indicators of which, in combination with other data, make it possible to predict the outcomes of TBI.