Glucocorticoids therapy for patients with septic shock
SUN Yun
Abstract：Septic shock is one of the most common causes of death in the intensive care unit . Corticosteroids have received particular attention in these patients because of their interactions with immune, metabolic and hemodynamic responses to stress .But the benefit of corticosteroids in severe sepsis and septic shock remains controversial , although it has been used in varied doses for more than 50 years.The current knowledge on the effects of glucocorticoids demonstrated that septic shock may be associated with relative adrenal insufficiency .“Relative adrenal insufficiency” depending largely on the diagnostic test and criteria used to make the diagnosis;High dose of glucocorticoids does not benefit the patients with sepsis .A 5 to 7-day course of physiologic hydrocortisone doses with subsequent tapering has been proposed to treat patients with vasopressor dependent septic shock .But at present there are no strong evidence -based recommendations .Some issues, such as the definition of normal adrenal response, the concept of relative adrenal insufficiency , the best target population of glucocorticoids treatment, are needed to be investigated in the lab and in clinic .
Keywords：Septic shockSevere sepsisGlucocorticoidsAdrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test
Publication Date：2014-01-01
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 297-301 )