Role of corticosteroids in the treatment of circulatory collapse states

E-ISSN： 1532-6535|11|5|630-655

ISSN： 0009-9236

Source： CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Vol.11, Iss.5, 1970-09, pp. : 630-655

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Abstract

Corticosteroids are hormones which exert effects on virtually every organ and tissue and thereby play a key role in preserving and maintaining homeostasis. 154 In particular, corticosteroids exert prominent effects on the cardiovascular system. 65, 66 The circulatory effects of the orticosteroids have been under investigation since 1849 when Addison 2 recognized that cardiovascular collapse was a prominent feature of adrenal insufficiency. However, it has only been within the last twenty years that corticosteroids have been available in pure form, thereby permitting an investigation of their effects. The cardiovascular effects of corticosteroids are of considerable interest because hypotension is a prominent feature in adrenocortical insufficiency, and hypertension occurs in hypersecretion of adrenal corticosteroids. Furthermore, corticosteroids have been widely used in the treatment of a variety of states of circulatory shock. The particular emphasis of this review will be to discuss, in terms of recent developments in the field, the basic physiologic and pharmacologic mechanisms by means of which corticosteroids exert their cardiovascular effects in shock states. Several new findings necessitate a significant shift in our thinking about the circulatory effects of the corticosteroids.