Eva Boonen1, Greet Van den Berghe. 1. Clinical Division and Laboratory of Intensive Care Medicine, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Critical illness is uniformly characterized by elevated plasma cortisol concentrations, traditionally attributed exclusively to increased cortisol production driven by an activated hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis. However, as plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentrations are often not elevated or even low during critical illness, alternative mechanisms must contribute. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent investigations revealed that plasma clearance of cortisol is markedly reduced during critical illness, explained by suppressed expression and activity of the main cortisol metabolizing enzymes in liver and kidney. Furthermore, unlike previously inferred, cortisol production rate in critically ill patients was only moderately increased to less than double that of matched healthy subjects. In the face of low-plasma ACTH concentrations, these data suggest that other factors drive hypercortisolism during critical illness, which may suppress ACTH by feedback inhibition. These new insights add to the limitations of the current diagnostic tools to identify patients at risk of failing adrenal function during critical illness. They also urge to investigate the impact of lower hydrocortisone doses than those hitherto used. SUMMARY: Recent novel insights reshape the current understanding of the hormonal stress response to critical illness and further underline the need for more studies to unravel the pathophysiology of adrenal (dys)functioning during critical illness.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Critical illness is uniformly characterized by elevated plasma cortisol concentrations, traditionally attributed exclusively to increased cortisol production driven by an activated hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis. However, as plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentrations are often not elevated or even low during critical illness, alternative mechanisms must contribute. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent investigations revealed that plasma clearance of cortisol is markedly reduced during critical illness, explained by suppressed expression and activity of the main cortisol metabolizing enzymes in liver and kidney. Furthermore, unlike previously inferred, cortisol production rate in critically ill patients was only moderately increased to less than double that of matched healthy subjects. In the face of low-plasma ACTH concentrations, these data suggest that other factors drive hypercortisolism during critical illness, which may suppress ACTH by feedback inhibition. These new insights add to the limitations of the current diagnostic tools to identify patients at risk of failing adrenal function during critical illness. They also urge to investigate the impact of lower hydrocortisone doses than those hitherto used. SUMMARY: Recent novel insights reshape the current understanding of the hormonal stress response to critical illness and further underline the need for more studies to unravel the pathophysiology of adrenal (dys)functioning during critical illness.
Authors: Anna Kopczak; Carmen Krewer; Manfred Schneider; Ilonka Kreitschmann-Andermahr; Harald Jörn Schneider; Günter Karl Stalla Journal: Int J Mol Sci Date: 2015-12-22 Impact factor: 5.923