The Relationship Of The Plasma Levels Between N-terminal Pro-B-type Natriuretic Peptide And High-sensitivity C Reactive Protein In Patients With Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

BackgroundSevere traumatic brain injury (sTBI) is a worldwide cause of morbidity and mortality. Great attentions have been paid to the role of brain natriuretic peptide in sTBI. The role of C-reactive protein (CRP) was studied in the development of nonbacterial systemic inflammation response after trauma. Scientific evidence is mounting for an association between sTBI and enhanced level of high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP) in circulation. Increased CRP levels in blood indicates bad prognosis in patients with sTBI. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship of the plasma levels between N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high-sensitivity C reactive protein(hsCRP) in patients with sTBI at the early stage after trauma.MethodsTwenty-eight patients with severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) admitted to our hospital within24h after trauma from March2011to April2013were served as sTBI group (GCS3-7)and20healthy subjects were served as control group. The blood samples were extracted within1h after admission and plasma NT-proBNP and hsCRP levels were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay and immunoturbidimetry assay, respectively.ResultsThe plasma NT-proBNP and hsCRP levels in sTBI group after admission was significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.05, respectively). Taking control group and sTBI group as a whole, correlation analysis showed that plasma NT-proBNP level was positively related to plasma hsCRP level (7=0.799, P<0.01). Moreover, the plasma NT-proBNP and hsCRP levels in patients with elevated intracranial pressure (>15mmHg, n=14) were significantly higher than those in patients with controlled intracranial pressure (ICP≤15mmHg, n=14, P<0.05, respectively).ConclusionsPlasma levels of NT-proBNP significantly elevated in patients with severe traumatic brain injury within24h after trauma, which was closely related with high inflammation response and increased intracranial pressure. It indicates that plasma NT-proBNP level might be a valuable marker to monitoring severity and evaluating prognosis for patients with severe traumatic brain injury.