People with sepsis often develop a hemorrhagic rash—a cluster of tiny blood spots that look like pinpricks in the skin. If untreated, these gradually get bigger and begin to look like fresh bruises. These bruises then join together to form larger areas of purple skin damage and discoloration.
The bacteria, most commonly Group A streptococcal bacteria, enter the skin through an opening, such as cut, scrape, burn, or surgical incision, or even a bug bite or sting. Cellulitis can cause sepsis in some people. Often incorrectly called blood poisoning, sepsis is the body's life-threatening response to infection.
Advanced symptoms of blood poisoning may be life-threatening and include: confusion. red spots on the skin that may grow larger and look like a big, purple bruise. shock.
Sepsis is the consequence of widespread inflammation (swelling) in the body. Inflammation and blood clotting during sepsis causes reduced blood flow to limbs and vital organs, and can lead to organ failure and even death.
Symptoms often affect feet and legs
In general, cellulitis appears as a red, swollen, and painful area of skin that is warm and tender to the touch. The skin may look pitted, like the peel of an orange, or blisters may appear on the affected skin.
blue, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue – on brown or black skin, blueness may be easier to see on the lips, tongue or gums, under the nails or around the eyes. a rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it, the same as meningitis. difficulty breathing, breathlessness or breathing very fast.
If the infection has spread or you have a generalized infection, you may develop other signs and symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, pain, etc. Sometimes however, you may have an infection and not know it, and not have any symptoms.
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.
High heart rate or weak pulse. Fever, shivering, or feeling very cold. Confusion or disorientation. Shortness of breath.
Contact your GP as soon as possible if: your symptoms get worse after 48 hours. your symptoms haven't improved after a week. you develop additional symptoms, such as a high temperature (fever) or vomiting.
"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.
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 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.
However, there might be other symptoms related to sepsis based on where the infection is. Abdominal pain is one such symptom.
A small cut could be the cause, or you could develop an infection after a surgical procedure. Sepsis can occur without warning in people who don't know that they have an infection.
Cellulitis can occur anywhere on the body, but the most common location is the lower leg. Bacteria are most likely to enter broken, dry, flaky or swollen skin, such as through a recent surgical site, cuts, puncture wounds, ulcers, athlete's foot or dermatitis.
You may need to keep your foot elevated as much as possible for at least 48 hours. However, to aid circulation, you should go for short walks every now and then and wiggle your toes regularly when your foot is raised. If you have cellulitis in a forearm or hand, a high sling can help to raise the affected area.
You should rest until your symptoms improve. Raising the affected limb higher than your heart can also help reduce swelling. Cellulitis should go away within 7 to 10 days after you start taking antibiotics. You might need longer treatment if your infection is more severe.
Sepsis needs treatment in hospital straight away because it can get worse quickly. You should get antibiotics within 1 hour of arriving at hospital. If sepsis is not treated early, it can turn into septic shock and cause your organs to fail.
After you have had sepsis, rehabilitation usually starts in the hospital by slowly helping you to move around and look after yourself: bathing, sitting up, standing, walking, taking yourself to the restroom, etc.