Which statement accurately describes the inflammatory and metabolic response following trauma?

Which statement accurately describes the inflammatory and metabolic response following trauma?

• A. The response is purely local with no systemic effects
• B. The response is driven by anabolic hormones
• C. The response is driven by systemic catabolic hormones including epinephrine, glucagon and cortisol
• D. The response is prevented by timely resuscitation alone

Answer: (C)

Trauma sets off a systemic stress response that is dominated by circulating catabolic hormones, not by anabolic signals. After injury, the body floods with catecholamines (like epinephrine) and glucagon, along with cortisol. These hormones mobilize energy quickly: they raise blood glucose through hepatic glucose output, promote lipolysis, and drive protein breakdown to supply amino acids for energy and the immune response. This creates a hypermetabolic, insulin-resistant state that affects the whole body, not just the injury site. That’s why describing the response as driven by systemic catabolic hormones is the best answer. It captures the widespread metabolic shift following trauma. Local-only effects don’t account for the observed hyperglycemia and widespread tissue catabolism, and labeling the response as anabolic would opposite the reality of the stress response. While prompt resuscitation is crucial for survival, it doesn’t by itself prevent the hormonal and inflammatory cascade that trauma triggers.

Trauma sets off a systemic stress response that is dominated by circulating catabolic hormones, not by anabolic signals. After injury, the body floods with catecholamines (like epinephrine) and glucagon, along with cortisol. These hormones mobilize energy quickly: they raise blood glucose through hepatic glucose output, promote lipolysis, and drive protein breakdown to supply amino acids for energy and the immune response. This creates a hypermetabolic, insulin-resistant state that affects the whole body, not just the injury site.

That’s why describing the response as driven by systemic catabolic hormones is the best answer. It captures the widespread metabolic shift following trauma. Local-only effects don’t account for the observed hyperglycemia and widespread tissue catabolism, and labeling the response as anabolic would opposite the reality of the stress response. While prompt resuscitation is crucial for survival, it doesn’t by itself prevent the hormonal and inflammatory cascade that trauma triggers.