Liver cirrhosis is a major cause of mortality worldwide,often with severe sepsis as the terminal event.Over the last two decades,several studies have reported that in septic patients the adrenal glands respond inappro...Liver cirrhosis is a major cause of mortality worldwide,often with severe sepsis as the terminal event.Over the last two decades,several studies have reported that in septic patients the adrenal glands respond inappropriately to stimulation,and that the treatment with corticosteroids decreases mortality in such patients.Both cirrhosis and septic shock share many hemodynamic abnormalities such as hyperdynamic circulatory failure,decreased peripheral vascular resistance,increased cardiac output,hypo-responsiveness to vasopressors,increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines [interleukine(IL)-1,IL-6,tumor necrosis factor-alpha] and it has,consequently,been reported that adrenal insufficiency(AI) is common in critically ill cirrhotic patients.AI may also be present in patients with stable cirrhosis without sepsis and in those undergoing liver transplantation.The term hepato-adrenal syndrome defines AI in patients with advanced liver disease with sepsis and/or other complications,and it suggests that it could be a feature of liver disease per se,with a dif-ferent pathogenesis from that of septic shock.Relative AI is the term given to inadequate cortisol response to stress.More recently,another term is used,namely "critical illness related corticosteroid insufficiency" to define "an inadequate cellular corticosteroid activity for the severity of the patient's illness".The mechanisms of AI in liver cirrhosis are not completely understood,although decreased levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high levels of proinflammatory cytokines and circulatory endotoxin have been suggested.The prevalence of AI in cirrhotic patients varies widely according to the stage of the liver disease(compensated or decompensated,with or without sepsis),the diagnostic criteria defining AI and the methodology used.The effects of corticosteroid therapy on cirrhotic patients with septic shock and AI are controversial.This review aims to summarize the existing published information regarding AI in patients with liver cirrhosis.展开更多
Background It is known that the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal （HPA） axis is highlighted by stimulation, such as sepsis, trauma, etc, when corticortropin increases and plasma cortisol levels enhance. Relative adrena...Background It is known that the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal （HPA） axis is highlighted by stimulation, such as sepsis, trauma, etc, when corticortropin increases and plasma cortisol levels enhance. Relative adrenal insufficiency is not uncommon in critically ill patients and may occur in severe sepsis patients with high plasma cortisol levels. It has been demonstrated that a short corticotropin test has a good prognostic value and is helpful in identifying patients with septic shock at high risk for death, but it has not been established for all severe sepsis patients, especially in China. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between adrenal function and prognosis in patients with severe sepsis. Methods This prospective study was conducted between July and December 2004 in 6 teaching hospitals. Two hundred and forty patients with severe sepsis were enrolled in this study. A short corticotropin stimulation test was performed in all patients by intravenous injection of 250 pg of corticotropin. Blood samples were taken immediately before the test （TO）, 30 （T30） and 60 （T60） minutes afterward, and the plasma cortisol concentration was measured by radio-immunoassay. At the onset of severe sepsis, the following parameters were recorded： age, sex, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation （APACHE） II, heart rate, mean arterial pressure （MAP）, arterial partial pressure of oxygen （PaO2）/fraction of inspired oxygen （FiO2）, peripheral blood of hemoglobin, platelets and leukocyte concentration and the number of organ failure. Patients were designated into two groups （survival and non-survival groups） according to the 28-day mortality. Relative adrenal insufficiency was defined as the difference between TO and the highest value of T30 or T60 （△Tmax） ≤9 μg/dl. Results （1） Two hundred and forty patients with severe sepsis were included in this study, with 134 patients in the survival group and 106 in the non-survival group. The 28-day mortality was 44.2%.展开更多
文摘Liver cirrhosis is a major cause of mortality worldwide,often with severe sepsis as the terminal event.Over the last two decades,several studies have reported that in septic patients the adrenal glands respond inappropriately to stimulation,and that the treatment with corticosteroids decreases mortality in such patients.Both cirrhosis and septic shock share many hemodynamic abnormalities such as hyperdynamic circulatory failure,decreased peripheral vascular resistance,increased cardiac output,hypo-responsiveness to vasopressors,increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines [interleukine(IL)-1,IL-6,tumor necrosis factor-alpha] and it has,consequently,been reported that adrenal insufficiency(AI) is common in critically ill cirrhotic patients.AI may also be present in patients with stable cirrhosis without sepsis and in those undergoing liver transplantation.The term hepato-adrenal syndrome defines AI in patients with advanced liver disease with sepsis and/or other complications,and it suggests that it could be a feature of liver disease per se,with a dif-ferent pathogenesis from that of septic shock.Relative AI is the term given to inadequate cortisol response to stress.More recently,another term is used,namely "critical illness related corticosteroid insufficiency" to define "an inadequate cellular corticosteroid activity for the severity of the patient's illness".The mechanisms of AI in liver cirrhosis are not completely understood,although decreased levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high levels of proinflammatory cytokines and circulatory endotoxin have been suggested.The prevalence of AI in cirrhotic patients varies widely according to the stage of the liver disease(compensated or decompensated,with or without sepsis),the diagnostic criteria defining AI and the methodology used.The effects of corticosteroid therapy on cirrhotic patients with septic shock and AI are controversial.This review aims to summarize the existing published information regarding AI in patients with liver cirrhosis.
基金the 135 Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(No.2002)New Century Excellent Talents Foundation of the Ministry of Education(No.SCET-04-0476).
文摘Background It is known that the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal （HPA） axis is highlighted by stimulation, such as sepsis, trauma, etc, when corticortropin increases and plasma cortisol levels enhance. Relative adrenal insufficiency is not uncommon in critically ill patients and may occur in severe sepsis patients with high plasma cortisol levels. It has been demonstrated that a short corticotropin test has a good prognostic value and is helpful in identifying patients with septic shock at high risk for death, but it has not been established for all severe sepsis patients, especially in China. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between adrenal function and prognosis in patients with severe sepsis. Methods This prospective study was conducted between July and December 2004 in 6 teaching hospitals. Two hundred and forty patients with severe sepsis were enrolled in this study. A short corticotropin stimulation test was performed in all patients by intravenous injection of 250 pg of corticotropin. Blood samples were taken immediately before the test （TO）, 30 （T30） and 60 （T60） minutes afterward, and the plasma cortisol concentration was measured by radio-immunoassay. At the onset of severe sepsis, the following parameters were recorded： age, sex, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation （APACHE） II, heart rate, mean arterial pressure （MAP）, arterial partial pressure of oxygen （PaO2）/fraction of inspired oxygen （FiO2）, peripheral blood of hemoglobin, platelets and leukocyte concentration and the number of organ failure. Patients were designated into two groups （survival and non-survival groups） according to the 28-day mortality. Relative adrenal insufficiency was defined as the difference between TO and the highest value of T30 or T60 （△Tmax） ≤9 μg/dl. Results （1） Two hundred and forty patients with severe sepsis were included in this study, with 134 patients in the survival group and 106 in the non-survival group. The 28-day mortality was 44.2%.
