Serum Neopterin in Head Injury

ABSTRACT

Cell-mediated immunity frequently becomes impaired after major trauma. To investigate the immune response of the head injury, the authors measured the level of the serum neopterin, which represents the index of macrophage activation, in 53 head-injured patients. In the injured group the serum neopterin level was 5.4+/-3.1 nmol/l and slightly higher than that of the normal control group, 4.4+/-1.0 nmol/1. In the group of the patients with the Glasgow Coma Scale(GCS) 3-9, the level was significantly higher than the group GCS 10-15. The differences were not significantly related to the age or the presence of intracranial hematoma. It is conceivable that head injury will change the patient's immune response and it may be influenced by neural control.