THERAPY IN COLLAPSE DUE TO MENINGOCOCCUS INFECTION
Authors: James E. Cassidy
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1957)

Article1 June 1957THERAPY IN COLLAPSE DUE TO MENINGOCOCCUS INFECTIONJAMES E. CASSIDYJAMES E. CASSIDYSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-46-6-1099 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptOf the many consequences that meningococcal infection can produce,1 the most fearful is collapse. The multiple changes producing collapse proceed swiftly and with little warning. Unlike the shock attending trauma, hemorrhage or even adrenalectomy, in collapse neither blood and plasma transfusions nor the administration of plasma expanders or electrolyte solutions is of avail in treatment.There is general familiarity with the acute adrenocortical damage which occurs in this disease. This may be variable in its degree and reversibility.2The ultimate is, of course, obliterating hemorrhage. Regardless of severity, the insult to the adrenal cortex occurs precisely when demands of severe...Bibliography1. Tobin JL: Complications of meningococcus infection in a series of sixty-three consecutive sporadic cases, Am. J. M. Sc. 231: 241-248, 1956. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Rich AR: Peculiar type of adrenal cortical damage associated with acute infections and its possible relation to circulatory collapse, Bull. Johns Hopkins Hosp. 74: 1-15, 1944. Google Scholar3. FergusonChapman JHO: Fulminating meningococcic infections and so-called Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome, Am. J. Path. 24: 763-795, 1948. MedlineGoogle Scholar4. SokoloffKingWechsler LBDRL: The role of 1-norepinephrine in the treatment of shock, M. Clin. North America 38: 499-514, 1954. CrossrefGoogle Scholar5. Yow EM: A re-evaluation of sulfonamide therapy, Ann. Int. Med. 43: 323-332, 1955. LinkGoogle Scholar6. Feldman HA: Personal communication. Google Scholar7. NelsonGoldstein JN: Nature of Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome, J. A. M. A. 146: 1193-1197, 1951. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Shaw EB: Clinical conference: Infections of the central nervous system, J. Pediat. 43: 316-338, 1953. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Uhl HS: Nor-epinephrine in the treatment of acute meningococcemia with shock (Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome) and an evaluation of adrenocortical function, New England J. Med. 249: 229-232, 1953. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. MoyerSkeltonMills JHJMLC: Nor-epinephrine; effect in normal subjects; use in treatment of shock unresponsive to other measures, Am. J. Med. 15: 330-343, 1953. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar11. von Euler US: Physiologic basis for the clinical use of noradrenalin, Ann. Int. Med. 41: 699-708, 1954. LinkGoogle Scholar12. BaumannPearsonLevin FDRM: Adrenal cortical steroids in the management of a case of meningococcemia, J. Pediat. 43: 575-577, 1953. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: *Received for publication August 24, 1956.From the 3650th U.S.A.F. Hospital, Sampson Air Force Base, N. Y.Requests for reprints should be addressed to James E. Cassidy, Major, U.S.A.F. (MC), 49 Washington Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byCardiovascular management of septic shockClinical Trial Design in Studies of Corticosteroids for Bacterial InfectionsSTEPHEN WEITZMAN, M.D., STEPHEN BERGER, M.D.Bakterielle InfektionenManagement of Bacterial Meningitis in ChildrenACTH and Adrenocorticosteroids as Therapeutic Adjuncts in Infectious Diseases 1 June 1957Volume 46, Issue 6Page: 1099-1104KeywordsAdrenalectomyAntimicrobialsBlood plasmaBlood transfusionDentistryHemorrhageHospital medicineMeningococcal diseaseNeisseria meningitidisShock Issue Published: 1 June 1957 PDF downloadLoading ...