Survivors from sepsis have presented with long-term cognitive impairment, including alterations in memory, attention, concentration, and global loss of cognitive function.
The affected areas included the frontal lobes, thalamus, and cerebellum. Another MRI study presented evidence of prominent atrophy of the left hippocampus in sepsis survivors who had permanent cognitive deficits in verbal learning and memory 6 to 24 months after discharge from the ICU (112).
Once presumed to be entirely reversible, research suggests that sepsis-associated encephalopathy could lead to permanent neurocognitive dysfunction and functional impairments, even after the patient has recovered.
More than half of sepsis survivors have long-term cognitive impairments [91], which are still inadequately characterized, but may include loss of verbal fluency, memory, and attention deficits [4,5,6, 91].
This is known as Post Sepsis Syndrome (PSS) and usually lasts between 6 and 18 months, sometimes longer. Because you may look well, others (including your employer, doctor, or family) may be unaware of the problems and expect you to be better now. Don't suffer in silence.
Many people who survive sepsis recover completely and their lives return to normal. However, as with some other illnesses requiring intensive medical care, some patients have long-term effects.
And for all ages, the worse the sepsis, the greater the risk of developing dementia. Another study published in 2010 estimates that there may be as many as 20,000 new cases of dementia every year caused by sepsis.
Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition caused by a systemic dysregulated host response to infection. The brain is particularly susceptible to the effects of sepsis with clinical manifestations ranging from mild confusion to a deep comatose state.
These changes are present in the most severe cases. The parts of the brain mostly involved in sepsis are the frontal cortex and the hippocampus, which leads to cognitive dysfunction [23]. There might be a brainstem dysfunction caused by the passage of inflammatory mediators through area postrema.
The duration of delirium in intensive care patients is associated with long-term functional disability and cognitive impairment, although this syndrome usually reverses after the successful treatment of sepsis.
The loss of memory and cognitive function known to afflict survivors of septic shock is the result of a sugar that is released into the blood stream and enters the brain during the life-threatening condition.
Although SE has been described as a reversible syndrome, studies indicate long-lasting cognitive and depressive disturbances in patients after the sepsis resolves [21, 22]. Recovery from these cognitive and mental symptoms is often slow.
Experts estimate that 25 to 50% of survivors of severe sepsis show considerable cognitive impairment (Annane and Sharshar 2015; Chavan et al. 2012). Problems with memory, learning, concentrating, and decision-making affect the daily lives of patients, their caregivers, and their families.
Complications. As sepsis worsens, blood flow to vital organs, such as your brain, heart and kidneys, becomes impaired. Sepsis may cause abnormal blood clotting that results in small clots or burst blood vessels that damage or destroy tissues.
Some causes of dementia or dementia-like symptoms can be reversed with treatment. They include: Infections and immune disorders.
Researchers recently published a new line of evidence supporting a hypothesis that Alzheimer's might be a result of an infection by oral bacteria P. gingivalis. The bacteria produces toxins called gingipains that are found to accumulate in the brain of Alzheimer's patients.
Recovering from sepsis
You might continue to have physical and emotional symptoms. These can last for months, or even years, after you had sepsis. These long-term effects are sometimes called post-sepsis syndrome, and can include: feeling very tired and weak, and difficulty sleeping.
On average, the recovery period from this condition takes about three to ten days, depending on the appropriate treatment response, including medication.
Sepsis often is characterized by an early and acute encephalopathy, which is associated with increased morbidity and mortality [1,2]. Patients present with fluctuating mental status changes, inattention, disorganized thinking and therefore match with current criteria for delirium.
60 percent of hospitalizations for severe sepsis were associated with worsened cognitive and physical function among surviving older adults.
Sepsis is such a substantial condition that it more than likely meets the definition of disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA).
It's known that many patients die in the months and years after sepsis. But no one has known if this increased risk of death (in the 30 days to 2 years after sepsis) is because of sepsis itself, or because of the pre-existing health conditions the patient had before acquiring the complication.
Treating the underlying cause of the disorder may improve symptoms. However, the encephalopathy may cause permanent structural changes and irreversible damage to the brain.
Sepsis associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a common but poorly understood neurological complication of sepsis. It is characterized by diffuse brain dysfunction secondary to infection elsewhere in the body without overt CNS infection.