Stress-induced hyperglycemia and mortality in patients with traumatic brain injury without preexisting diabetes: A meta-analysis.

Stress-induced hyperglycemia (SIH) is common in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and has been suggested to influence mortality rates. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the impact of SIH on the mortality of TBI patients without preexisting diabetes mellitus (DM). A comprehensive search was performed in Medline, Web of Science, Embase, Wanfang, and CNKI databases up to May 15, 2024, to retrieve relevant studies. Observational studies reporting the incidence of all-cause mortality among TBI patients without preexisting DM, comparing those with and without SIH, were included. The association between SIH and all-cause mortality was analyzed using risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) with a random-effects model. Twelve cohort studies comprising 15 datasets with 16,387 TBI patients were included. The pooled analysis showed that SIH was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (RR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.72-2.33, p < 0.001), with mild heterogeneity (I² = 25%). Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of these findings. Subgroup analyses indicated no significant differences based on study design, patient age, gender proportion, SIH definition, or follow-up duration. However, the association was slightly weaker but still significant in studies using multivariate analyses (RR: 1.76) compared to univariate analyses (RR: 2.69). In conclusion, SIH was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality in TBI patients without preexisting DM. Further research should explore the underlying mechanisms and optimal management strategies for SIH in this population.