IMMUNOSUPPRESSION AND SEPSIS

The course of prolonged sepsis is characterized by an initial activati on of the immune system followed by the transition into a state of imm unosuppression. Accordingly, a series of immunosuppressive substances can be detected in the serum of septic patients. On the cellular level many important functions of the unspecific as well as the specific de fense systems of the organism are inhibited. As a consequence, immunos uppression may be contributing to the fact, that patients suffering fr om prolonged sepsis hardly recover with a high risk to end in multiple organ dysfunction. However, increasing efforts to investigate this pr oblem may result in therapeutic approaches which may help to improve t he bad prognosis of sepsis.