[Circadian rhythms of cortisol in burns (author's transl)].

Circadian rhythms of cortisol were studied in 10 patients. This study was made shortly after the burn and for a short period of one or two days maximum in 9 patients. Blood level measurements of cortisone were made in 4 patients. 7 patients died. The analysis of circadian rhythm was made with a computer (méthode de régression harmonique combinée à une analyse de variance). The results are deceiving: there are qualitative and quantitative disturbances but we could not give a significance to them, each patient reacting differently. In one case, a drop of cortisol to 0 was observed and the patient died, this observation shows the development of corticosurrenal failure. So, one or several measurements do not allow the study of corticosurrenal function which differs in each case. Theoretical appreciations in handbooks on the subject must be tempered.