Effect of naloxone on serum C-reactive protein in patients with severe brain injury

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effect of early administration of naloxone and the possibility of C-reactive protein (CRP) as an index for estimating the effect of naloxone in the patients with traumatic brain injury. Methods Sixty-eight patients with severe brain injury were randomized into two groups: naloxone (0.4 mg·kg-1·d-1) treatment group (n = 30) and control group (n = 38). The recovery of patients was evaluated by Glasgow Coma Scale(GCS), intracranial pressure (ICP) and brain edema change by CT scan,while the serum concentration of CRP was detected before and after the treatment. Results Naloxone group showed significant difference as compared with control group in GCS, ICP and brain edema (P 0.01) after treatment. Serum CRP was (73.64±8.64)mg/L in the naloxone group, and (69.23±7.31)mg/L in control group, showing no significant difference between two groups (P 0.05). Pretreatment concentration of serum CRP was (37.25±11.45)mg/L in the naloxone group, and (48.54±12.07)mg/L in control group, showing a significant between the group difference(P 0.01). Conclusions Naloxone administration provides an effective therapy for traumatic brain injury. CRP can serve as an index for estimating the degree of traumatic brain injury and the effectiveness of naloxone treatment.