Nitric oxide (NO) is an important mediator of the main cardiovascular feature seen in critically ill child .In the present study ,we measured the serum level of nitrite and nitrate as an indicator of NO production in 73 critically ill children diagnosed according to acute illness score ,and 21 apparently healthy children serving as a control group .our cases of critical illness were divided into four subgroups ,27 had critical infection with mean value of NO 59.7±21.3 nmol/ml,11 cases had septicemia with NO 124.8 ±38.6 nmol/ml,11 cases had shock without sepsis and NO 34.1 ±12.2 nmol/ml, and lastly 24 cases with autoimmune diseases and their mean serum NO level of 62.9±17.1 nmol/ml .The control group had NO level of 14.1± 2.3 nmol/ml.the mean values of NO in different groups of acute illness were significantly elevated (P<0.001) compared to the corresponding value of the control group .Significant positive correlation have been found between NO levels and C-reactive protein (CRP),acute illness score and total leukocytic count .We concluded that the increased production of NO in our cases assured its major role as a mediator in the pathogenesis of acute illness and it can be considered as an indicator for the severity of illness .We recommended an extension trial for using NO synthase inhibitors in some cases of acute illness . |
