Pre-traumatic conditions can influence cortisol levels before and after a brain injury.
Ann SörboIngrid EivingElvar TheodorssonBertil RydenhagIngibjörg H JonsdottirPublished in: Acta neurologica Scandinavica (2020)
Stressful events and/or chronic disease before brain injury might affect mobilization of adequate stress reactions following the trauma. However, the large variability in cortisol levels in these patients does not allow firm conclusions and more studies are needed.