Growth Hormone Deficiency Following Traumatic Brain Injury in Pediatric and Adolescent Patients: Presentation, Treatment, and Challenges of Transitioning from Pediatric to Adult Services

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is increasingly recognized with an incidence of approximately 110 per 100,000 in pediatric populations and 618 per 100,000 in adolescent and adult populations. TBI often leads to cognitive, behavioral, and physical consequences, including endocrinopathies. Deficiencies in anterior pituitary hormones (eg, adrenocorticotropic hormone, thyroid-stimulating hormone, gonadotropins, and growth hormone [GH]) can negatively impact health outcomes and quality of life post TBI. This review focuses on GH deficiency (GHD), the most common post-TBI pituitary hormone deficiency. GHD is associated with abnormal body composition, lipid metabolism, bone mineral density, executive brain functions, behavior, and height outcomes in pediatric, adolescent, and transition-age patients. Despite its relatively frequent occurrence, post-TBI GHD has not been well studied in these patients; hence, diagnostic and treatment recommendations are limited. Here, we examine the occurrence and diagnosis of TBI, retrospectively analyze post-TBI hypopituitarism and GHD prevalence rates in pediatric and adolescent patients, and discuss appropriate GHD testing strategies and GH dosage recommendations for these patients. We place particular emphasis on the ways in which testing and dosage recommendations may change during the transition phase. We conclude with a review of the challenges faced by transition-age patients and how these may be addressed to improve access to adequate health care. Little information is currently available to help guide patients with TBI and GHD through the transition phase and there is a risk of interrupted care; therefore, a strength of this review is its emphasis on this critical period in a patient's health care journey.