Critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency is common in critically ill patients,
particularly those with sepsis. Supplemental corticosteroids may restore the balance …

Purpose To determine if adrenocortical gene expression is associated with clinical
outcomes or response to corticosteroid treatment in septic shock. Methods A pre-specified …

Background Reduced glucocorticoid-receptor (GR) expression in blood suggested that
critically ill patients become glucocorticoid-resistant necessitating stress-doses of …

Critical illness is generally hallmarked by activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal
axis. The development of very high levels of cortisol has been associated with severe illness …

Background Glucocorticoid (GC) treatment has variable effect in sepsis. This may be
explained by decreased expression or function of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). The aim …

Corticosteroids have been considered for decades for the treatment of severe sepsis and
septic shock, based on their pivotal role in the stress response and their hemodynamic and …

This review describes current knowledge on the mechanisms that underlie glucocorticoid
insufficiency in sepsis and the molecular action of glucocorticoids. In patients with severe …

Background Whether hydrocortisone reduces mortality among patients with septic shock is
unclear. Methods We randomly assigned patients with septic shock who were undergoing …

Although systemic inflammation is the hallmark of sepsis, the use of glucocorticoids
remained controversial during many years. Gluco-corticoids exert key actions during sepsis …

The immune system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis are linked by several
mechanisms. Intracellular glucocorticoid receptors represent one important connection. The …