Association Between Serum Electrolyte Disturbances and Glasgow Coma Scale Score in Patients With Diffuse Axonal Injury

Appropriate clinical measures to prevent secondary brain damage in traumatic brain injury are of critical importance.

This study aims to investigate the relationships between serum electrolyte disturbances and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score in patients with Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI) at the time of admission and discharge.

In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we evaluated 101 patients with DAI having GCS score <15 admitted to Poursina Hospital in Rasht, Iran from 2019 to 2020. Based on the presence or absence of serum potassium (K), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), and zinc (Zn), disturbances on the first day of hospitalization, patients were divided into two study groups of with and without abnormal electrolyte levels. The GCS scores of the two groups at the time of admission and discharge were recorded and the relationship between electrolyte disturbances and GCS score was evaluated.

There were no significant differences in the mean GCS score at the time of admission and discharge between patients with and without disturbances in serum Na, K, Zn and Mg levels based on the crude analysis. Regarding the simultaneous effects of the study variables on the GCS score, only Mg serum level exerted a significant impact on the GCS score at the time of admission (P=0.041) and discharge (P=0.017).

The GCS score in patients with DAI at the time of admission and discharge has an association with the Mg serum level but not with Na, K, and Zn levels.