Eosinopenia in Children following Traumatic Intracranial Hemorrhage Is Associated with Poor Prognosis and Prolonged Hospital Admission.

BACKGROUND

Neutrophilia is associated with brain injury and is frequently accompanied by eosinopenia. Although eosinopenia is a poor prognostic indicator for various diseases, its significance in intracranial events has not been investigated.

METHODS

We retrospectively included 22 pediatric patients (≤18 years old) who experienced traumatic intracranial hemorrhage between 2002 and 2015. Patients were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of eosinopenia on admission, i.e. the proportion of eosinophils to total white blood cells <1.0%.

RESULTS

The mean Glasgow Coma Scale score was marginally lower in the eosinopenia group (14.1 vs. 12.0, p = 0.06). The mean Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOSE) score was significantly lower in the eosinopenia group (7.5 vs. 5.7, p = 0.02), and the mean length of hospital stay tended to be longer in patients with eosinopenia (7.8 vs. 28.4, p = 0.10). In our multivariate logistic regression analysis, eosinopenia was the only significant risk factor for poor outcome (GOSE score 1-7, OR 29.7, p = 0.03) and prolonged hospital stay (>2 weeks, OR 7.1, p = 0.047).

CONCLUSION

These results demonstrate the significance of eosinopenia as a novel prognostic factor in traumatic intracranial hemorrhage in children.