Oxidative stress in sepsis in children

Background & objectives: Information on oxidative damage during spesis in children is not available, we undertook this study to assess the levels of certain antioxidants in blood of children with sepsis. Methods: Study group had 38 children with sepsis (<5 yr) and 39 age-and sex-matched controls admitted to a tertiary care hospital. Red cell glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) and plasma vitamin C were estimated by standard techniques. Results: There was no significant change in erythrocyte GSH, SOD and TBARS levels in sepsis when compared to controls. This may be due to the adaptive response of the body to combat the oxidative stress. However, plasma vitamin C levels were significantly reduced in patients aged one year one month to five years which may be due to active phagocytosis and due to its role as a free radical scavenger. Interpretation & conclusion: Our findings show that children affected by sepsis probably adapt to the free radical toxicity induced by this condition. Further studies need to be done on a larger sample to confirm the findings.