Can a simple chemical help to both prevent and treat sepsis

Excerpt

I was pleased to read the commentary by Kempker et al., ‘Sepsis is a preventable public health problem’ (Crit Care, 2018, 22:116). Prevention of a critical illness such as sepsis is always preferable, for both the individual patients and the health system in general, with the cost of treating sepsis and its long-term health disabilities contributing a significant personal and societal burden. It has long been known that individuals who are vitamin C deficient are more prone to severe illnesses such as acute respiratory infections, with pneumonia being a major cause of death for individuals with the deficiency disease scurvy [1]. Acute illnesses, such as sepsis, can also impact negatively on vitamin C status, despite recommended enteral and parenteral intakes [2]. Due to the increased demand and utilization of vitamin C during critical illness, administration of at least 2–3 g/day of vitamin C is required to replete the plasma of these patients. Thus, inadequate vitamin C status may be both a contributor to and a consequence of severe illness. …