The Association of Serum Total Cortisol As Adrenal Response Marker And Severe Community Acquired Pneumonia

Abstract

ommunity-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the most common cause of death associated with infectious disease in the United States. More than one million patients with CAP require hospitalization annually, 10% of whom admitted to an intensive care unit. Severe community acquired pneumonia (SCAP) is a progressive disease developing from a local pulmonary infection to a systemic infection manifesting as sepsis, severe sepsis, septic shock and multiorgan failure when inflammatory cytokines spread into systemic circulation. Cortisol, the predominant corticosteroid secreted by the adrenal cortex, is an important endogenous regulator of inflammation. During an infectious episode, cortisol production increases, and exerts anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activities. The aim of the current study was to assess the serum total cortisol level in severe community acquired patients and its relation to disease severity. The present study was carried out at intensive care unit of national institute of chest diseases at Embaba to evaluate the level of serum total cortisol (8 AM), only single serum total cortisol sample was measured in 50 patients suffering from seve