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[Vitamin C and D supplementation in critically ill patients].
Hill, A, Starchl, C, Dresen, E, Stoppe, C, Amrein, K
Medizinische Klinik, Intensivmedizin und Notfallmedizin. 2023;(2):114-121
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Abstract
Micronutrient supplementation as part of the medical nutrition therapy for critically ill patients has received much attention in the past few years. Nevertheless, in clinical practice uncertainty remains about the optimal supplementation strategy, including which substance at which dosage should be administered at what time to specific groups of patients. Thus, the aim of this narrative review is to summarize the current evidence and recommendations for the micronutrients vitamin C and vitamin D. The physiological and pathophysiological roles of both vitamins are presented, recently published clinical trials are discussed, and the recommendations of the current guidelines are summarized. In addition, pragmatic tips for use in everyday clinical practice in the intensive care unit are given.
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An update of the effects of vitamins D and C in critical illness.
Hill, A, Starchl, C, Dresen, E, Stoppe, C, Amrein, K
Frontiers in medicine. 2022;:1083760
Abstract
Many critically ill patients are vitamin D and vitamin C deficient and the current international guidelines state that hypovitaminoses should be compensated. However, uncertainty about optimal dosage, timing and indication exists in clinical routine, mainly due to the conflicting evidence. This narrative review discusses both micronutrients with regards to pathophysiology, clinical evidence of benefits, potential risks, and guideline recommendations. Evidence generated from the most recent clinical trials are summarized and discussed. In addition, pragmatic tips for the application of these vitamins in the clinical routine are given. The supplementations of vitamin D and C represent cost-effective and simple interventions with excellent safety profiles. Regarding vitamin D, critically ill individuals require a loading dose to improve 25(OH)D levels within a few days, followed by a daily or weekly maintenance dose, usually higher doses than healthy individuals are needed. For vitamin C, dosages of 100-200 mg/d are recommended for patients receiving parenteral nutrition, but needs may be as high as 2-3 g/d in acutely ill patients.
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Celiac Disease and the Thyroid: Highlighting the Roles of Vitamin D and Iron.
Starchl, C, Scherkl, M, Amrein, K
Nutrients. 2021;(6)
Abstract
Celiac disease (CD) and autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) like Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and Graves' disease (GD) frequently coexist, entailing numerous potential impacts on diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Possible correlations might exist through gut microbiota, regulating the immune system and inflammatory responses, promoting autoimmune diseases, as well as shared cytokines in pathogenesis pathways, cross-reacting antibodies or malabsorption of micronutrients that are essential for the thyroid like iron or vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is a common finding in patients with AITD, but might protect from autoimmunity by wielding immunoregulatory and tolerogenic impacts. Additionally, vitamin D is assumed to be involved in the onset and progression of CD, presumably plays a substantial protective role for intestinal mucosa and affects the thyroid via its immunomodulatory effects. Iron is an essential micronutrient for the thyroid gland needed for effective iodine utilization by the iron-dependent enzyme thyroid iodine peroxidase (TPO). Despite being crucial for thyroid hormone synthesis, iron deficiency (ID) is a common finding in patients with hypothyroidism like HT and is frequently found in patients with CD. A literature research was conducted to examine the interplay between CD, AITD, vitamin D and iron deficiency. This narrative review highlights the relevant correlation of the two disease entities CD and AITD, their reciprocal impact and possible therapeutic options that should be further explored by future studies.
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Micronutrients in Sepsis and COVID-19: A Narrative Review on What We Have Learned and What We Want to Know in Future Trials.
Rossetti, M, Martucci, G, Starchl, C, Amrein, K
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania). 2021;(5)
Abstract
Sepsis remains the leading cause of mortality in hospitalized patients, contributing to 1 in every 2-3 deaths. From a pathophysiological view, in the recent definition, sepsis has been defined as the result of a complex interaction between host response and the infecting organism, resulting in life-threatening organ dysfunction, depending on microcirculatory derangement, cellular hypoxia/dysoxia driven by hypotension and, potentially, death. The high energy expenditure driven by a high metabolic state induced by the host response may rapidly lead to micronutrient depletion. This deficiency can result in alterations in normal energy homeostasis, free radical damage, and immune system derangement. In critically ill patients, micronutrients are still relegated to an ancillary role in the whole treatment, and always put in a second-line place or, frequently, neglected. Only some micronutrients have attracted the attention of a wider audience, and some trials, even large ones, have tested their use, with controversial results. The present review will address this topic, including the recent advancement in the study of vitamin D and protocols based on vitamin C and other micronutrients, to explore an update in the setting of sepsis, gain some new insights applicable to COVID-19 patients, and to contribute to a pathophysiological definition of the potential role of micronutrients that will be helpful in future dedicated trials.
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Risks in Management of Enteral Nutrition in Intensive Care Units: A Literature Review and Narrative Synthesis.
Hoffmann, M, Schwarz, CM, Fürst, S, Starchl, C, Lobmeyr, E, Sendlhofer, G, Jeitziner, MM
Nutrients. 2020;(1)
Abstract
Critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) have a high risk of developing malnutrition, and this is associated with poorer clinical outcomes. In clinical practice, nutrition, including enteral nutrition (EN), is often not prioritized. Resulting from this, risks and safety issues for patients and healthcare professionals can emerge. The aim of this literature review, inspired by the Rapid Review Guidebook by Dobbins, 2017, was to identify risks and safety issues for patient safety in the management of EN in critically ill patients in the ICU. Three databases were used to identify studies between 2009 and 2020. We assessed 3495 studies for eligibility and included 62 in our narrative synthesis. Several risks and problems were identified: No use of clinical assessment or screening nutrition assessment, inadequate tube management, missing energy target, missing a nutritionist, bad hygiene and handling, wrong time management and speed, nutritional interruptions, wrong body position, gastrointestinal complication and infections, missing or not using guidelines, understaffing, and lack of education. Raising awareness of these risks is a central aspect in patient safety in ICU. Clinical experts can use a checklist with 12 identified top risks and the recommendations drawn up to carry out their own risk analysis in clinical practice.
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Thyroid-Gut-Axis: How Does the Microbiota Influence Thyroid Function?
Knezevic, J, Starchl, C, Tmava Berisha, A, Amrein, K
Nutrients. 2020;12(6)
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Plain language summary
Thyroid and gut disease often coexist together. This literature review highlights the strong interplay between gut, microbiota and thyroid disease. In autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) gut bacteria imbalances, bacterial overgrowth, Coeliac's disease or non-coeliacs wheat sensitivity, increased gut permeability and resulting deficiency of thyroid nutrients are not uncommon. Inflammation and intestinal wall damage that lead to increased permeability are thought to be one of the driving factors for autoimmune activity. Allergens, certain drugs, impaired gut flora and nutrient deficiencies are some of the contributors to heightened intestinal permeability. Furthermore, the gut walls host deiodinase enzymes that convert thyroid hormone to its active form. The gut microbiota however influence thyroid function in their own rights. The bacteria are crucial for nutrient synthesis, absorption and availability, including those essential for thyroid health. Gut bacteria and their metabolites also play a significant role in the regulation, development and training of immune cells, relevant to AITD. After all, the gut also houses a large proportion of the immune system known as gut-associated lymphatic tissue (GALT). Besides, some bacteria species seem to be capable of balancing fluctuating thyroid hormone levels in the blood. The writings further elaborate on thyroid-essential nutrients and the gut such as iodine, iron, zinc, selenium and Vitamin D. And the impact of bariatric surgery on thyroid function and the presence of certain gut bacteria in thyroid cancers. In summary, the authors concluded that the thyroid-gut axis seems to exhibit a strong connection. Limited evidence from human studies showed promising results of probiotics and synbiotics on thyroid function and targeting the microbiota as a novel strategies for the management of thyroid disease is encouraged to be explored further. This article may be of interest to those looking for an informative summary on the many ways in which the gut influences thyroid function in health and disease.
Abstract
A healthy gut microbiota not only has beneficial effects on the activity of the immune system, but also on thyroid function. Thyroid and intestinal diseases prevalently coexist-Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and Graves' disease (GD) are the most common autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) and often co-occur with Celiac Disease (CD) and Non-celiac wheat sensitivity (NCWS). This can be explained by the damaged intestinal barrier and the following increase of intestinal permeability, allowing antigens to pass more easily and activate the immune system or cross-react with extraintestinal tissues, respectively. Dysbiosis has not only been found in AITDs, but has also been reported in thyroid carcinoma, in which an increased number of carcinogenic and inflammatory bacterial strains were observed. Additionally, the composition of the gut microbiota has an influence on the availability of essential micronutrients for the thyroid gland. Iodine, iron, and copper are crucial for thyroid hormone synthesis, selenium and zinc are needed for converting T4 to T3, and vitamin D assists in regulating the immune response. Those micronutrients are often found to be deficient in AITDs, resulting in malfunctioning of the thyroid. Bariatric surgery can lead to an inadequate absorption of these nutrients and further implicates changes in thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and T3 levels. Supplementation of probiotics showed beneficial effects on thyroid hormones and thyroid function in general. A literature research was performed to examine the interplay between gut microbiota and thyroid disorders that should be considered when treating patients suffering from thyroid diseases. Multifactorial therapeutic and preventive management strategies could be established and more specifically adjusted to patients, depending on their gut bacteria composition. Future well-powered human studies are warranted to evaluate the impact of alterations in gut microbiota on thyroid function and diseases.