The Role of Salivary Alpha Amylase in Sepsis

Critical illness may be induced by different underlying life-threatening diseases, such as infection, sepsis, trauma, respiratory insufficiency or hypoxia and severe neurological status. The associated endocrine, nervous, metabolic and immunological changes are defined as acute stress syndrome. Salivary alpha-amylase is secreted from the salivary glands mainly in response to beta-adrenergic stimuli. Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) has gained rapid popularity as a non-invasive marker of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity.