Clinical challenges of endocrinological origin in neurocritical care practice

Certain endocrinological disorders are a frequent finding in neurosurgical patients admitted in the neurocritical care units and these disorders have a deleterious bearing in the overall course of the illness and the final outcome. Alteration of neurotransmitters release responsible for maintaining the hormonal homeostasis is the presumable explanation of these disorders. The anatomical nearness of vital centers controlling the release of neurotransmitters and the site of lesion alters the normal pattern of the release and affecting the normal homeostasis   thereby leading to adverse consequences on the other organ systems. The anatomical proximity to the vital centres regulating the endocrinological physiology and alteration in the neurotransmitter release causes disturbances in the hormonal homeostasis. Thus, an indepth understanding and early recognition of the clinical changes is necessary so as to arrest the further progress of the endocrine abnormality and to commence early remedial measures.