Abstract
Following brain death (BD) many hormonal changes occur. These include an increase and then a fall in the levels of circulating catecholamines, reduced levels of anti-diuretic hormone and cortisol as well as alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary thyroid axis consistent with the non-thyroidal illness syndrome. In an era when the numbers of potential recipients listed for transplantation are greater than the number of donors, with an increasing donor age, a detailed knowledge of the endocrine changes and pathophysiological consequences of these is essential to optimise the management of the brain-stem dead organ donor. There still remains significant debate as to whether hormone replacement therapy to correct the observed changes is beneficial.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 799-812 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Best practice & research. Clinical endocrinology & metabolism |
Volume | 25 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2011 |