Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome
altered organ function in an acutely ill patient requiring medical intervention to achieve homeostasis
Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is altered organ function in an acutely ill patient requiring immediate medical intervention.
There are different stages of organ dysfunction for certain different organs, both in acute and in chronic onset, whether or not there are one or more organs affected. Each stage of dysfunction (whether it be the heart, lung, liver, or kidney) has defined parameters, in terms of laboratory values based on blood and other tests, as to what it is (each of these organs' levels of failure is divided into stage I, II, III, IV, and V). The word "failure" is commonly used to refer to the later stages, especially IV and V, when artificial support usually becomes necessary to sustain life; the damage may or may not be fully or partially reversible.
Signs and symptoms
Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome can trigger a variety of symptoms throughout the body. Because MODS can impact any organ system, the specific symptoms experienced will depend on which organs are affected. Initially, these signs may be mild as the underlying illness progresses towards MODS. However, as the condition worsens, the symptoms can become more severe.
These symptoms include low urine output, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Some patients experience mental symptoms like confusion and may feel fatigued. Symptoms like fever, chills, irregular heartbeat, and quick/shallow breathing are also common.
The public source identifies “Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome” as altered organ function in an acutely ill patient requiring medical intervention to achieve homeostasis. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Multiple, organ and dysfunction.
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Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1193870. The Library of Congress control number is sh89005207. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
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This entry incorporates text from “Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.