Thyroid hormone supplementation in sepsis: an experimental study.
OBJECTIVE
The levels of thyroid hormones decrease in septic, critically ill, and major trauma patients who show a bad prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of thyroid hormone supplementation on the sepsis criteria and mortality in an experimental sepsis model.


METHODS
Forty-eight Wistar-Albino rats were divided into four experimental groups. A cecum ligation and puncture was used as a sepsis model. Group I: sham; group II: a cecum ligation and puncture (control); group III: a cecum ligation and puncture +T3 (0.4 microg/100 g body weight/day) intraperitoneally; group IV: a cecum ligation and puncture +T4 (1 500 ng/100 g body weight/day) intramuscularly. The PCO(2), leukocyte count, peritoneal bacterial content, neutropenia, and mortality rates were assessed in all groups.


RESULTS
The PCO(2) levels decreased only in the control group ( P < 0.05). The leukocyte counts were lower in the therapy groups ( P < 0.05). The rate of neutropenia was seen much more in the control group ( P < 0.05). The peritoneal bacteria content decreased in the therapy groups ( P < 0.05). The mortality rate significantly decreased in the thyroid hormone-treated animals ( P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Thyroid hormone supplementation in septic rats had a beneficial effect on the sepsis criteria and also resulted in a lower rate of mortality.
Inan
Murat
M
Department of General Surgery, School of Medicine, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas 58140, Turkey.
Koyuncu
Ayhan
A
Aydin
Cengiz
C
Turan
Mustafa
M
Gokgoz
Sehsuvar
S
Sen
Metin
M
D000818:Animals; D002432:Cecum / Q000601:surgery; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008026:Ligation; D008297:Male; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D011379:Prognosis; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018805:Sepsis / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000172:deficiency / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D013963:Thyroid Hormones