POST-TRAUMATIC HYPOPITUITARISM AND HEAD INJURY

<p>That this House notes that head injury patients are at risk of post-traumatic hypopituitarism (PTHP) which may appear immediately after head injury or up to decades later; further notes that the effects of pituitary damage can include infertility, failure to grow in children, muscle loss in adults, weight problems, fatigue, depression, loss of sex drive, erectile dysfunction in men and loss of periods in women; is concerned about the increased risk of suicide after head injury and the potential links to PTHP; is further concerned that patients may not be warned of or diagnosed with PTHP following a head injury as the current sample discharge letter in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)head injury guideline makes no reference to PTHP; acknowledges that PTHP can be effectively treated with hormone replacement therapy; acknowledges that athletes and football players may be at particular risk owing to exposure to repetitive mild head trauma; is encouraged that the Football Association will be opening St George's Park as a centre of applied football research which will research the potential long-term effects of participation in the sport on the health of players; and calls on the Government to amend the NICE sample discharge advice and consider introducing routine screening for PTHP for head injury patients, to improve their quality of life and perhaps also to save the lives of athletes and the general public.</p>