Endocrine Disorders in Critically Ill Patients – The Smooth Criminal?

The hallmark of critical illness is the rapid initiation of numerous physiologic processes in an effort to reestablish homeostasis. Thus, critical illness can be considered the result of an acute physical stress that acts as a trigger for an acute aggressive inflammatory response [1,2].
The inflammatory response occurs early after primary injury, almost concomitant with coagulation cascade activation, micro- and macrovascular alterations, and hypothalamic-pituitary-peripheral axis disorders, proportionate to the severity of illness. In this context, “The Triad of Critically Illness” is a lethal interplay involving three key factors: inflammation, coagulopathy and hormonal imbalance. [More]