Acute Adrenal Insufficiency in Childhood: Etiopathogenesis, Clinical Picture, and Intensive Care

Introduction . Acute adrenal insufficiency (AAI) is a severe endocrinopathy whose victims include children and adolescents and which can be life-threatening despite its low incidence. Analysis of issues associated with intensive care of children with this pathology is of vital interest for pediatric anesthesiology and critical care medicine. The aim of this work was to assess current views on the etiopathogenesis, clinical pathology and intensive treatment of pediatric AAI. Materials and methods . The topic was researched by analyzing publications found in the Cochrane Library, PubMed and Medscape using the following search terms: “acute adrenal insufficiency, children and adolescents, intensive therapy, fluid management”, with 65 published sources chosen. Results and discussion . In AAI, caused by a sharp deficiency of cortisol (and mineralocorticoids), which triggers an inflammatory reaction, electrolyte imbalance and hemodynamic disorders. AAI presents with dehydration, nausea and vomiting, feelings of pain, hypotension, tachycardia, seizures and impaired consciousness up to coma. Laboratory tests in children often reveal hyperkalemia, hyponatremia, hypoglycemia and hypercalcemia. Intensive management of AAI in the ICU relies on parenteral corticosteroids (preferably intravenous hydrocortisone). Two or three days later, when the child is stable, they are switched to oral hormones. Meanwhile, fluid management is performed over 2 to 3 days to increase the circulating blood volume and relieve dehydration with crystalloid fluids. Conclusion . A clearer understanding of the etiopathogenesis, clinical manifestations and diagnostic features of AAI, along with knowledge of emergency care algorithms, will improve the quality of intensive therapy of pediatric patients with this condition.