If you get in a car accident, you should get a thorough medical examination the same day, even if you think that your injuries are minor. What feels at first like a minor bump on the head could actually be a concussion, which can cause severe headaches, light sensitivity, dizziness, and other disturbing symptoms that can last for weeks or even months.
It makes sense that if doctors suspect a concussion, they might do an MRI or test your balance, light tolerance, or vision. You might be surprised when your doctors test your pituitary hormones. You would expect doctors to monitor your hormones if you were undergoing fertility treatments, but what do hormones have to do with concussions? In some cases, hormonal imbalances can result from head injuries such as concussion and traumatic brain injury (TBI). If you sustained a concussion in a car accident and are continuing to experience hormonal symptoms, contact a New York car accident lawyer.
What Do Concussions and TBI Have to Do With Hormones?
A traumatic injury to the brain, known as concussion or TBI, depending on the severity, not only causes pain but also symptoms related to brain function. This is why the symptoms of concussion can include neurological symptoms like poor balance, impaired memory and concentration, and difficulty speaking, as well as psychological symptoms such as irritability, depression, and anxiety. The pituitary gland is located directly below the brain. Therefore, a traumatic injury to certain parts of the head can affect the pituitary gland as well as the brain.
In school, you probably learned about the role of pituitary hormones in puberty and reproduction, but sex hormones are just one of the pituitary gland’s many functions. It also produces hormones that regulate many other functions of the body, including hunger, sleep, and temperature perception. Hypopituitarism is when the pituitary gland produces insufficient levels of some or all pituitary hormones; traumatic injuries to the head are one of the possible causes of hypopituitarism.
The following are some symptoms of hypopituitarism:
Reduced body hair
Weight gain
Frequently feeling tired or cold
Dizziness
Menstrual cycle changes
Constipation
Low blood pressure
Increased urination
Experiencing these symptoms after a brain injury does not always indicate hypopituitarism. Hormonal disturbances in the immediate aftermath of a concussion or TBI are common, but they usually resolve on their own. There is reason to suspect hypopituitarism only if your hormone levels consistently remain low for several months after the acute injury. If you suffer a concussion in a car accident and develop hypopituitarism as a complication of the injury, then treatment for hypopituitarism, which usually involves replacing the deficient hormones, counts as an accident-related medical expense.
Contact Leitner Varughese Warywoda About Car Accident Cases
A car accident lawyer can help you if you suffered a concussion or TBI as the result of a car accident and developed hypopituitarism as a result. Contact Leitner Varughese Warywoda PLLC in Brooklyn, New York, or call (212)671-1110 to discuss your case.
