Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS): Cellular and Humoral Mediators

Systemic inflammation characterizes the nonspecific constitutional disturbance resulting from numerous insults including trauma, burns, major surgery, sepsis, and a variety of disease processes including pancreatitis. The cause of this postinjury systemic inflammatory response remains incompletely understood. The currently known inflammatory mediators involved in the systemic derangement involve multiple normally protective systems (including the immune and coagulation systems). The name given to this systemic maladaptive disturbance is the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS).