This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when the body's response to an infection damages its own tissues.
Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references AskMayoExpert. Sepsis and septic shock. Mayo Clinic; Pomerantz WJ. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome SIRS and sepsis in children: Definitions, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis. Accessed Dec. Singer M, et al. The third international consensus definitions for sepsis and septic shock Sepsis Bennett JE, et al.
Elsevier; If you have symptoms of sepsis, your doctor will order tests to make a diagnosis and determine the severity of your infection. One of the first tests is a blood test. Your blood is checked for complications like:. Depending on your symptoms and the results of your blood test, your doctor may order other tests, including:.
There are two tools, or sets of criteria, doctors use to determine the severity of your condition. One is the systemic inflammatory response syndrome SIRS. SIRS is defined when you meet two or more of the following criteria:. Another tool is the quick sequential organ failure assessment qSOFA. It uses the results of three criteria:. A positive qSOFA is determined if two or more of the above measurements are abnormal.
The results of either of these assessments will help your doctor determine care. Doctors use a number of medications to treat sepsis, including:. Severe sepsis may also require large amounts of IV fluids and a respirator for breathing.
Dialysis might be necessary if the kidneys are affected. Kidneys help filter harmful wastes, salt, and excess water from the blood. In dialysis, a machine performs these functions. In some cases, surgery may be needed to remove the source of an infection. This includes draining a pus-filled abscess or removing infected tissue. Your recovery from sepsis depends on the severity of your condition and any preexisting conditions you might have.
Many people who survive will recover completely. However, others will report lasting effects. The UK Sepsis Trust says it can take up to 18 months before survivors start to feel like their normal self. The Sepsis Alliance says that around 50 percent of sepsis survivors deal with post-sepsis syndrome PSS.
The alliance says this condition includes long-term effects such as:. Taking steps to prevent the spread of infection can reduce your risk of developing sepsis. These include:. Every minute and hour counts, especially since the infection can spread quickly. Get immediate medical attention if you suspect that you have sepsis, especially if you have a known infection. Septicemia is a bacterial infection spread through the entire vascular system of the body.
Untreated it can result in sepsis, a life-threatening…. If your child has any of the symptoms listed below, is getting worse or is sicker than you'd expect even if their temperature falls , trust your instincts and seek medical advice urgently from NHS If your child has any of these symptoms, is getting worse or is sicker than you'd expect even if their temperature falls , trust your instincts and seek medical advice urgently from NHS In some cases, symptoms of more severe sepsis or septic shock when your blood pressure drops to a dangerously low level develop soon after.
Seek urgent medical advice from your GP if you've recently had an infection or injury and you have possible signs of sepsis, and ask 'is this sepsis? If your GP practice is closed, phone the service.
If sepsis is suspected, you'll usually be referred to hospital for further diagnosis and treatment. Severe sepsis and septic shock are medical emergencies.
Sepsis is often diagnosed based on simple measurements such as your temperature, heart rate and breathing rate. You may need to give a blood test. Other tests can help determine the type of infection, where it's located and which body functions have been affected. These include:.
If sepsis is detected early and hasn't affected vital organs yet, it may be possible to treat the infection at home with antibiotics. Most people who have sepsis detected at this stage make a full recovery. Almost all people with severe sepsis and septic shock require admission to hospital. Some people may require admission to an intensive care unit ICU. Because of problems with vital organs, people with severe sepsis are likely to be very ill and the condition can be fatal.
However, sepsis is treatable if it is identified and treated quickly, and in most cases leads to a full recovery with no lasting problems. Read more about treating sepsis. Some people make a full recovery fairly quickly. The amount of time it takes to fully recover from sepsis varies, depending on:.
These long-term problems are known as post-sepsis syndrome. Not everyone experiences these problems. Anyone can develop sepsis after an injury or minor infection, although some people are more vulnerable.
Read more about the causes of sepsis. Although sepsis is often referred to as either blood poisoning or septicaemia, these terms refer to the invasion of bacteria into the bloodstream. Sepsis can affect multiple organs or the entire body, even without blood poisoning or septicaemia.
Sepsis can also be caused by viral or fungal infections, although bacterial infections are by far the most common cause. Sepsis can be triggered by an infection in any part of the body. The most common sites of infection leading to sepsis are the lungs, urinary tract, tummy abdomen and pelvis.
Sepsis may develop when you're already in hospital. For example, you're more likely to develop sepsis if:. Usually, your immune system keeps an infection limited to one place. This is known as a localised infection. Your body produces white blood cells, which travel to the site of the infection to destroy the germs causing infection.
A series of biological processes occur, such as tissue swelling, which helps fight the infection and prevents it spreading. This process is known as inflammation. If your immune system is weak or an infection is particularly severe, it can quickly spread through the blood into other parts of the body. This causes the immune system to go into overdrive, and the inflammation affects the entire body.
This can cause more problems than the initial infection, as widespread inflammation damages tissue and interferes with blood flow. The interruption in blood flow leads to a dangerous drop in blood pressure, which stops oxygen reaching your organs and tissues.
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