What are the symptoms of sepsis? There is no single symptom of sepsis. It can initially look like the flu, gastro, or a typical urinary, skin, or chest infection. Symptoms can vary from person to person and are different for adults and children.
Sepsis is often referred to as a “silent killer” because many symptoms can be confused with, or related to, other medical conditions. It's a leading cause for hospital admissions and mortality, with 1.7 million new cases each year in the United States.
When treatment or medical intervention is missing, sepsis is a leading cause of death, more significant than breast cancer, lung cancer, or heart attack. Research shows that the condition can kill an affected person in as little as 12 hours.
Sepsis symptoms can range from mild to severe. Complications are more likely in severe cases.
Sepsis is the body's extreme response to an infection. It is a life-threatening medical emergency. Sepsis happens when an infection you already have triggers a chain reaction throughout your body. Infections that lead to sepsis most often start in the lung, urinary tract, skin, or gastrointestinal tract.
"When an infection reaches a certain point, this can happen in a matter of hours." Sepsis usually starts out as an infection in just one part of the body, such as a skin wound or a urinary tract infection, Tracey says.
Weakness or aching muscles. Not passing much (or any) urine. Feeling very hot or cold, chills or shivering. Feeling confused, disoriented, or slurring your speech.
Most symptoms of post-sepsis syndrome should get better on their own. But it can take time. There are things you can do to help with some long-term effects.
Left untreated, toxins produced by bacteria can damage the small blood vessels, causing them to leak fluid into the surrounding tissues. This can affect your heart's ability to pump blood to your organs, which lowers your blood pressure and means blood doesn't reach vital organs, such as the brain and liver.
Sepsis doesn't hide in the body to re-emerge later on. However, if you had sepsis once, if you get another infection, you are at higher risk of having it again.
However, there might be other symptoms related to sepsis based on where the infection is. Abdominal pain is one such symptom.
A person with sepsis might have one or more of the following signs or symptoms: High heart rate or weak pulse. Fever, shivering, or feeling very cold. Confusion or disorientation.
In sepsis, blood pressure drops, resulting in shock. Major organs and body systems, including the kidneys, liver, lungs, and central nervous system may stop working properly because of poor blood flow. A change in mental status and very fast breathing may be the earliest signs of sepsis.
Severe breathlessness or sleepiness. It feels like you're going to die or pass out. Skin mottled or discoloured. An extremely high or a very low temperature; repeated vomiting; seizures; and a rash which doesn't fade when you press a glass against it are also possible 'red flags'.
The condition can arise suddenly and progress quickly, and it's often hard to recognize. Sepsis was once commonly known as “blood poisoning.” It was almost always deadly. Today, even with early treatment, sepsis kills about 1 in 5 affected people.
Stage one: Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS)
Sepsis can be hard to identify, but is typically denoted by a very high or low body temperature, high heart rate, high respiratory rate, high or low white blood cell count and a known or suspected infection.
Sepsis can start gradually, or the symptoms can come on very suddenly. Sepsis must be treated quickly and efficiently as soon as healthcare providers suspect it. If it isn't recognized and treated quickly, sepsis can progress to severe sepsis and then to septic shock.
It can take several days to get the results of a blood culture. Prothrombin time and partial thromboplastin time (PT and PTT), platelet count, and d-dimer: Sepsis can have serious effects on blood clotting inside your body. If the PT and PTT are too high, it can indicate your blood is not clotting well.
Severe sepsis is a leading cause of death in the United States and the most common cause of death among critically ill patients in non-coronary intensive care units (ICU). Respiratory tract infections, particularly pneumonia, are the most common site of infection, and associated with the highest mortality.
Recovery at home: After discharge from hospital, the sepsis survivor needs detailed care at home along with regular reviews with the healthcare provider. They need to have complete rest and build up their strength with slowly increasing activities, as they are likely to feel weak and tired.
Sepsis is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed conditions among patients, particularly in a hospital setting. It typically comes on the heels of an initial infection and the symptoms from both conditions can cause confusion.
There is no definitive diagnostic test for sepsis. Along with clinical data, laboratory testing can provide clues that indicate the presence of or risk of developing sepsis. Serum lactate measurement may help to determine the severity of sepsis and is used to monitor therapeutic response.