Systemic inflammation and sepsis. Part II: Functional consequences of the storm.

No organ is exempt from sepsis-induced dysfunction. Sustained, uncontrolled inflammatory activity triggers a sequence of systemic mechanisms that tend to affect tissue and vascular homeostasis. This is boosted by the effect typical of microorganisms, which leads to severe functional consequences for the patient. A child's body is particularly sensitive to the effects of sepsis, partly due to the immaturity of several physiological variables. As a result, there is usually an early clinical impact associated with a greater severity. Although several intricate mechanisms lead to organ dysfunction, and many of them have not been fully elucidated, knowing them facilitates the understanding of the clinical picture and allows to establish an adequate therapeutic approach for each specific case.