Objective: To study the effect of intensive insulin therapy on serum high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) levels and its relationship with the prognosis in early phase of severe trauma.
Methods: Eighty severe trauma patients [injury severity score (ISS)≥ 16] were divided into groups according to injury to matched anatomical regions. Forty patients of intensive therapy group were given early intensive insulin therapy, while another 40 patients of the conventional treatment group received routine treatment based on clinical experience with insulin treatment. The insulin dose and the blood glucose levels were recorded within 72 hours after treatment. The relationship between HMGB1 levels and prognosis was analyzed by testing serum HMGB1 levels at 24, 36, 48, 60 or 72 hours after treatment, and clinical terminal events such as multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and death rate within 1 week were recorded. Results The insulin dose of intensive therapy group was significantly greater than that of conventional treatment group following the blood glucose levels were significantly lower than those of the conventional treatment group after treatment for 72 hours. The levels of HMGB1 (μg/L) lowered after intensive insulin therapy for 36 hours , and were significantly lower than those of conventional treatment group at 36, 48, 60 and 72 hours after intensive treatment (36 hours: 41.3 ± 9.5 vs. 52.7 ± 11.5, 48 hours: 48.6 ± 17.6 vs. 124.1 ± 22.9, 60 hours: 47.7 ± 23.3 vs. 132.9 ± 33.4, 72 hours: 54.3 ± 26.3 vs. 140.6 ± 16.5, P <0.05 or P <0.01). The incidence of MODS and mortality in intensive therapy group was respectively significantly lower than that of the conventional treatment group (20.0% vs. 55.0%, 10.0% vs. 30.0%, both P <0.05). In conventional treatment group the patients with HMGB1 ≥ 132.26 μg/L ( n =22) occurred MODS, and those with HMGB1<132.26 μg/L ( n =18) did not occur MODS. The HMGB1 levels in death patients ( n =12) were ≥ 132.26 μg/L.
Conclusion: Early intensive insulin treatment could probably reduce MODS and mortality by inhibiting stress hyperglycemia and serum HMGB1 levels effectively. Serum HMGB1 of severe trauma patients can be used for the clinical indicator of prognosis.