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Following a concussion, patients are often subjected to a CT scan to exclude brain injury. A quick blood test could make this expensive and tedious survey partly unnecessary.
(nda) · A football head injury or a football accident. staircase came quickly. As a rule of thumb, the medical assessment of whether the affected people have suffered a concussion lasts much longer. A new blood test should help here. A single drop of blood is sufficient to diagnose a slight craniocerebral trauma in ten minutes. The University of Geneva announced Monday. The rapid test inspired pregnancy tests was developed by Jean-Charles Sanchez, professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Geneva, in collaboration with Spanish colleagues.
Protein at risk
The researchers took advantage of the fact that the concentration of certain proteins in the blood after a mild brain injury increases. If a brain blows on the head, brain cells are damaged and release these proteins.
The researchers compared protein levels in the blood of patients who visited the hospital for mild traumatic brain injury. For some of them, computed tomography (CT) examination was negative. In other patients, however, the suspicion of a cranio-cerebral trauma has confirmed.
Both groups differed in their blood values, as the researchers report in the newspaper "PlosOne". Scientists have identified four molecules that correlate with brain injury: H-FABP, Interleukin-10, S100B, and GFAP. "We have found that H-FABP alone can exclude the risk of cranio-cerebral trauma in a third of patients," Sanchez is quoted in the statement.
All-clear or hospitalization
For This means that if the TBIcheck test shows a line after ten minutes, the person concerned must go to a hospital to diagnose the type of brain injury by CT. On the other hand, if the test field remains empty, the patient can go home safely. Tiring clarifications at the hospital and the radiation dose of CT are spared him. In the long run, this will reduce the burden of emergency services and reduce the costs of health care because CT scans are very expensive.
According to Sanchez, development opens up new possibilities for quick health checks after a boxing or football accident. There, the result of the test could decide if a player can continue safely. But even in remote areas, such as after a climbing accident, the test could for example be used in a family doctor's office. A start-up is planned to commercialize it in 2019.
The research group is already seeking to improve the current test by combining the H-FABP and GFAP values. This should save a scanner on half of those suspected of having brain damage.
Every year, three million people in Europe with symptoms of mild cranio-cerebral trauma are admitted to hospitals. They suffer from visual disturbances, vomiting or temporary fainting. However, only ten percent of them confirm their suspicions after CT.
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