“Children Are Not Small Adults!” Derek S
4 The Open Inflammation Journal, 2011, 4, (Suppl 1-M2) 4-15 Open Access “Children are not Small Adults!” Derek S. Wheeler*1,2, Hector R. Wong1,2 and Basilia Zingarelli1,2 1Division of Critical Care Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, The Kindervelt Laboratory for Critical Care Medicine Research, Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation, USA 2Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, USA Abstract: The recognition, diagnosis, and management of sepsis remain among the greatest challenges in pediatric critical care medicine. Sepsis remains among the leading causes of death in both developed and underdeveloped countries and has an incidence that is predicted to increase each year. Unfortunately, promising therapies derived from preclinical models have universally failed to significantly reduce the substantial mortality and morbidity associated with sepsis. There are several key developmental differences in the host response to infection and therapy that clearly delineate pediatric sepsis as a separate, albeit related, entity from adult sepsis. Thus, there remains a critical need for well-designed epidemiologic and mechanistic studies of pediatric sepsis in order to gain a better understanding of these unique developmental differences so that we may provide the appropriate treatment. Herein, we will review the important differences in the pediatric host response to sepsis, highlighting key differences at the whole-organism level, organ system level, and cellular and molecular level. Keywords: Pediatrics, sepsis, shock, severe sepsis, septic shock, SIRS, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, critical care. THE PEDIATRIC HOST RESPONSE TO SEPSIS Sepsis is exceedingly more common in children less than 1 year of age, with rates 10-fold higher during infancy Key Differences at the Whole-organism Level compared to childhood and adolescence [2].
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