Cytokine response in severe sepsis: predicting and modelling the course of illness

Severe sepsis remains one of the most threatening conditions in intensive care. During the progression of sepsis from early hit to multiorgan failure proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines are released. Cytokines can be used as biomarkers to determine the specific patterns of sepsis progression and association with mortality [1]. These biomarkers were successfully used as predictors in animal studies [2]. Data from humans, especially comparison between children and adults, are limited. Hence, in this study we widely describe systemic cytokine response in this type of patient population.