According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, sepsis comes second in the leading causes of death in the United States in ICU patients suffering from non-heart related ailments. It stands tenth in the list of most-common causes of over all death in this country.
Canadian researchers at the St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto found that lower levels of the fat hormone adiponectin can increase the risk of sepsis related death. The results of their findings were presented at the October 2009 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons held in Chicago.
What Research Learnt About Lower Fat Hormone Adiponectin Levels and Sepsis Nexus?
- Presence of bacteria and infectious organisms in the blood makes its poisonous and leads to a life threatening inflammatory condition called sepsis.
- People with weak immune system or in critically ill state are at higher risks of developing this condition.
- In people suffering from metabolic syndrome, the risks of losing life after surgery due to this condition is two to three times more when compared to normal people.
- These individuals have lower levels of adiponectin and when experiments were carried out on rats with low levels of this hormone, it was found that they had higher risks of dying from the blood infection.
- The results of this study made the researchers believe that lower levels of this hormone might predispose metabolic syndrome patients to develop sepsis and its related complications.
- When the levels of this hormone were restored back to normalcy, the risk of blood infection also reduced in the experimental mice.
Significance of the Research on Lower Fat Hormone Adiponectin Levels and Sepsis Nexus:
Statistics reveal that in certain regions of Canada and the United States, 40-50 percent people face the risk of metabolic syndrome. A research study which can predict, prevent and provide safe treatment for sepsis related deaths is the need of the hour.
According to the researchers, their study had two pronged implications. Firstly, low levels of adiponectin can predict risk of sepsis-related inflammation and prevent deaths. Secondly, it opens up the possibilities for developing novel ways of treatment by increasing the levels of this hormone in the body of the patients at risk of sepsis.
Further research is focused on carrying out a small clinical trial where the success of the research will be now repeated on humans. If the results turn out to be safe and positive, a large scale trial can be initiated.
