Impact of Serum Copper Level in Patients of Traumatic Brain Injury and its Correlation with Glasgow Coma Scale

Background Trauma is the injury caused by the physical force. More often, trauma is the consequence of motor vehicle crashes, falls and assaults. Head injury is recognized as a major public health problem that is a frequent cause of death and disability in young people. Trace metals like copper is known to have its impact in traumatic brain injury patients. This study was conducted to study the impact of serum copper levels in traumatic brain injury patients and its correlation with Glasgow coma scale. Materials and Methods It is a prospective cohort study. Blood samples were collected within eight hours of injury and subjected to biochemical assessment of serum copper. The patients were subsequently followed up and repeat observations were carried out on day 5 and day 10. Serum was separated with the help of centrifuge and quantitative analysis of copper was done by atomic absorption spectrophotometer after its complete digestion by microwave digester. Results The results are presented in meansd. The levels of between cases and controls were compared by using unpaired t-test. Similarly, Cu levels between moderate and severe GCS at day 0, day 5 and day 10 were compared by unpaired t-test. The changes among follow-ups were compared by using paired t-test. The p-valueless than0.05 was considered as significant. All the analysis was carried out by using SPSS 16.0 version. Conclusions The study showed a primary evidence of a relationship between and serum copper levels in traumatic brain injury patients and controls.