Early oxidative status in adult patients with isolated traumatic brain injury

Abstract

To investigate oxidative and antioxidative status, as well as the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and Revised Trauma Score (RTS), reflecting injury severity and neurological outcome during the early posttraumatic period in patients with isolated traumatic brain injury (TBI). Materials and methods: Fifty-one adult patients with TBI and 45 eligible healthy volunteers as control subjects were enrolled. Plasma total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), and the oxidative stress index (OSI) were calculated as biomarkers of early oxidative changes in serum using a novel automated method. Results: TOS levels and OSI values were significantly higher in nonsurvivors compared with those in survivors. However, there was no significant difference in TAS levels between survivors and nonsurvivors. GCS and RTS showed negative correlations with TOS levels, but neither was significantly related to OSI levels. Furthermore, GCS scores were negatively correlated with TAS levels, whereas RTS scores were not significantly related to TAS levels. Conclusion: Patients with isolated TBI are exposed to potent oxidative stress. TOS, as an early oxidative stress biomarker, might reflect the severity of cerebral insult in those patients.