July - September 2024, Volume 20, Issue 3

Hodea FM, Voiculescu VM, Manole TG, Grosu-Bularda A, Hariga CS

Hormonal Profile in Severe Burns

Acta Endo (Buc) 2024, 20 (3): 408-411
doi: 10.4183/aeb.2024.408

Acute or chronic burn injuries require hormonal responses that significantly influence patient prognosis. Elevated cortisol, catecholamines, and glucagon levels, lead to important metabolic changes, such as hyperglycaemia, insulin resistance, protein catabolism, free fatty acids oxidation, and secondary metabolic acidosis. These alterations impair immune function and wound healing and trigger a systemic inflammatory response. A multidisciplinary approach is needed in order to correctly manage the aforementioned endocrine and metabolic changes. During the acute phase, glucose monitoring, corticosteroid administration for transient or iatrogenic adrenal insufficiency and electrolyte balance maintenance are critical. Chronic phase requires hormonal replacement, nutritional optimization, and anabolic agents administration to counteract catabolic states. Despite continuous advances in burn care, understanding the complex interplay between hormonal changes and immune dysfunction remains challenging. Managing burn-associated endocrine responses could lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies, including personalised and stage- adapted treatment.

Keywords: endocrine dysfunction, burn, hypermetabolic state, hormonal dysregulation, insulin resistance.

Correspondence: M. Voiculescu MD, PhD, Elias University Emergency Hospital, Dept. of Dermatology, Blvd Mara?ti 17, 011461 Bucharest and “C. Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania, E-mail: voiculescuvlad@yahoo.com