Head Injury in Women - Not the Same as In Men!

Head injury in women – not the same as in man!

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a silent epidemic, and can be experienced by anyone regardless of age, ethnicity, or sex. However, the severity, range of symptoms, and recovery trajectories can vary. This is also the case when it comes to gender. Even though the incidence of TBI is higher in men, females have been reported to suffer sports-related brain injuries more often than males. Additionally, women report more symptoms after sustaining an injury and experience prolonged recovery times. Several clinical studies have identified biological and psychosocial differences between men and women in outcomes after TBI.

A range of factors cause differences in males and females post-TBI. These include both biochemical and physiological differences. For instance, the phase of a woman’s menstrual cycle at the time of injury, and following the injury, can affect the outcome. A disruption in progesterone levels, for example, can contribute to the severity of symptoms. On the other hand, estrogen and progesterone have also been reported to show protective effects. Additionally, anatomical differences, such as skull thickness and brain size, contribute to these sex-specific differences.

Gender-related differences in TBI have been reported in the literature, but there is nonetheless a clear deficit of studies using females in their study populations, and studies focusing on sex-related differences in TBI. Females being underrepresented in TBI studies has led to an incomplete understanding of TBI in women. Ultimately, it is important to better understand these sex-related differences to enable personalized, gender-specific treatment.