Title
Liver in sepsis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology
Date
1-9-2003
Document Type
Article
Medical Subject Headings
Apoptosis; Carbon Monoxide; Cholestasis; Cytokines; Heat-Shock Proteins; Hemodynamics; Humans; Lipopolysaccharides; Liver Diseases; Nitric Oxide; Sepsis; Systemic Inflammatory Response; Syndrome
Disciplines
Gastroenterology | Hepatology
Abstract
In patients with sepsis and SIRS, the liver has two opposing roles: a source of inflammatory mediators and a target organ for the effects of the inflammatory mediators. The liver is pivotal in modulating the systemic response to severe infection, because it contains the largest mass of macrophages (Kupffer cells) in the body; these macrophages can clear the endotoxin and bacteria that initiate the systemic inflammatory response. This article summarizes the functional changes that take place in the liver during sepsis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome and discusses the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie clinical outcomes.
Rights and Permissions
Citation: Clin Liver Dis. 2002 Nov;6(4):1045-66, x.