Until recently, endocrinology and critical care medicine were two
specialties in medicine that were rather uncomfortable with each other
and hence quite i- lated. Fortunately, these two 'alien' disciplines
have joined forces in successful attempts to perform high quality
research in order to clarify the unknown. By integrating endocrinology
in critical care medicine, or vice-versa depending on the specialty of
the observer, new experimental and clinical data on the complex
endocrine and metabolic derangements accompanying non-endocrine severe
i- nesses came available which generated important novel insights with
relevant clinical implications. In addition, the state of the art
diagnosis and management of primary endocrine diseases that represent
life-threatening situations leading to ICU admission has been updated.
This issue of Contemporary Endocrinology aims at compiling the new
?ndings. The book indeed covers both areas of 'Acute Endocrinology' that
are often taking care of at very distant sites within hospitals. The
?rst part deals with the classical life-threatening illnesses caused by
primary endocrine diseases such as thyrotoxicosis, hypothyroidism, acute
adrenal crisis, acute calcium disorders, pheochromocytoma, severe hyper-
and hypoglycemia . The second part looks at endocrinology from the ICU
side, starting with a g- eral overview of the dynamic neuroendocrine and
metabolic stress responses in the condition of intensive care-dependent,
non-endocrine critical illness.
