Biomarkers in acute brain trauma: A narrative review

Abstract

Biomarkers have been used to diagnose, prognose, evaluate, and identify the severity and outcomes in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. This study explored if it is possible to predict the outcome of TBI patients by estimating the biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid and serum. We searched data bases and literature about biomarkers, and found forty epidemiologic studies from 92 potentially relevant articles. However, limited data are available about postanoxic encephalopathy. It showed that presently, neurofilament, S100B, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and ubiquitin carboxyl terminal hydrolase-L1 seemed to have the best potential as diagnostic biomarkers for distinguishing focal and diffuse injury, whereas C-Tau, neuron-specific enolase, S100B, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and spectrin breakdown products appear to be candidates for reflective biomarkers of TBI. Point-of-care biomarkers are needed in TBI which is one of the most important additional risk factors in road traffic injuries. In a holistic approach, more researches about biomarkers of TBI are required. These biomarkers are very useful for treatment of patients with TBI.