对危重病的“战斗或逃跑”反应依赖于增加皮质醇的可用性,传统上归因于通过下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴激活使皮质醇产生增加了几倍。最近的研究为这一概念提供了具有临床意义的证据。首先,危重病期间皮质醇的高利用率是由抑制的皮质醇结合和减少的皮质醇分解而不是增加的皮质醇产生驱动的。这意味着在ICU中规定时减少氢化可的松剂量。第二,等离子体ACTH低,通过外周驱动的高游离皮质醇和/或其他中枢糖皮质激素受体配体的反馈抑制来解释。第三,ICU患者血浆ACTH前体激素浓度升高,pro-opiomelanocortin,因为受损的垂体加工成ACTH,面对低ACTH,pro-opiomelanocortin可以驱动一些肾上腺皮质皮质醇的产生。第四,在长期危重患者中,内源性抑制ACTH,外源性皮质类固醇加重,结果不佳的伙伴。长期住在ICU的病人,中枢肾上腺功能不全可能是由于缺乏营养的ACTH信号。最后,Cosyntropin试验不适合评估ICU患者的肾上腺皮质储备,因为该试验会被皮质醇分布体积增加所混淆.这些见解需要针对需求进行进一步的研究,如果有的话,用皮质类固醇治疗ICU患者,及其时间,外适应症为药物抗炎药。
The \"fight or flight\" response to critical illness relies on increased cortisol availability, traditionally attributed to several-fold-increased cortisol production via hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal-axis activation. Recent studies provided evidence against this concept with clinical implications. First, high cortisol availability during critical illness is driven by suppressed cortisol binding and reduced cortisol breakdown rather than increased cortisol production. This implies reduction of hydrocortisone doses when prescribed in ICU. Second, plasma ACTH is low, explained by feedback inhibition by peripherally driven high free cortisol and/or other central glucocorticoid-receptor ligands. Third, ICU patients have elevated plasma concentrations of the ACTH-precursor hormone, pro-opiomelanocortin, because of impaired pituitary processing into ACTH, and pro-opiomelanocortin could drive some adrenocortical cortisol production in face of low ACTH. Fourth, in prolonged critically ill patients, endogenously suppressed ACTH, aggravated by exogenous corticosteroids, associates with poor outcome. In long-stay ICU patients, central adrenal insufficiency may occur due to lack of trophic ACTH signaling. Finally, the Cosyntropin test is not suitable to assess adrenocortical reserve in ICU patients as the test is confounded by increased cortisol distribution volume. These insights necessitate further research focusing on the need, if any, of treating ICU patients with corticosteroids, and timing thereof, outside indications for pharmacological anti-inflammatory drugs.