The Clinical Differences of Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury in Plateau and Plain Areas

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability, which tends to have a worse clinical recovery if it occurs in plateau areas than in plain areas. To explore the underlying cause of this outcome preliminarily, this retrospective study was conducted to compare the clinical differences of patients with TBI in plateau and plain areas.

In this study, 32 patients with TBI in plateau areas (altitude ≥ 4,000 m) and 32 in plain areas (altitude ≤ 1,000 m) were recruited according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria from June 2020 to December 2021. The collected data and compared parameters include clinical features, head CT presentations and Marshall classifications, hematology profile, lipid profile, coagulation profile, and multiorgan (cardiac, liver, renal) function within 24 h of hospital admission, as well as the treatment method and final outcome.

There were no obvious differences in demographic characteristics, including gender, age, height, and weight, between patients with TBI in plateau and plain areas (all P > 0.05). Compared to patients with TBI in plain areas, the time before hospital admission was longer, heartbeat was slower, systolic blood pressure (SBP) was lower, and hospital stays were longer in patients with TBI in plateau areas (all P < 0.05). More importantly, elevated red blood cells (RBCs) count and hemoglobin (HGB) level, enhanced coagulation function, and higher rates of multiorgan (cardiac, liver, and renal) injury were found in patients with TBI in plateau areas (all P < 0.05).

Patients with TBI in plateau areas presented with altered clinical characteristics, enhanced coagulation function, and aggravated predisposition toward multiorgan (cardiac, liver, and renal) injury, compared to patients with TBI in plain areas. Future prospective studies are needed to further elucidate the influences of high altitude on the disease course of TBI.