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Antioxidant protection against iron in children with meningococcal sepsis

Marino Festa1, Sharon Mumby, Simon Nadel

  • 1Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Imperial College School of Medicine at St Mary's Hospital, London, UK.

Critical Care Medicine
|July 20, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Children with meningococcal sepsis show impaired antioxidant defenses against iron-induced oxidative stress. These deficiencies in antioxidant protection are linked to the severity of the illness.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Intensive Care
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Meningococcal sepsis can lead to severe illness and death.
  • Iron metabolism plays a role in oxidative stress during infections.
  • Antioxidant systems are crucial for combating reactive oxygen species.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate antioxidant protection against iron-catalyzed reactive oxygen species in pediatric meningococcal sepsis.
  • To determine if illness severity correlates with deficiencies in antioxidant systems.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective, controlled study was conducted in a pediatric intensive care unit.
  • Twenty children with meningococcal septic shock were analyzed, with paired convalescent samples obtained.
  • Disease severity was assessed using the Glasgow Meningococcal Septicaemia Prognostic Score.

Main Results:

  • Patients with acute meningococcal sepsis exhibited decreased transferrin levels and iron-binding capacity, with increased transferrin iron saturation.
  • Iron-binding antioxidant protection was diminished in more severe cases, correlating significantly with disease severity.
  • Iron-oxidizing antioxidant protection was also reduced in acute sepsis and correlated with disease severity and plasma ceruloplasmin levels.

Conclusions:

  • Children with meningococcal septicemia display altered plasma iron chemistry.
  • There is decreased protection against iron-catalyzed oxidative damage in these patients.
  • These antioxidant deficiencies are significantly correlated with the severity of meningococcal sepsis.
Abstract

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