The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is sponsoring a number of activities and events throughout the month of September in order to emphasize the need for early detection of sepsis, which is a life-threatening disease that affects one million people annually in this country. It is also listed among the Top 10 killer diseases because it has such a high mortality rate. In Olive Branch and elsewhere around the U.S., people affected by sepsis can be in grave danger if the disease is not diagnosed in time, and treated effectively. Personal care professionals are usually trained to detect the symptoms of this dread disease so that treatment can be undertaken in time to save lives.
What is sepsis?
Sepsis occurs when the body’s autoimmune system detects toxins in the bloodstream which have been delivered by some kind of bacteria. When these toxins are discovered, the immune system triggers a massive response which often ends up harming the body’s organs and tissues. The condition which occurs when poisons are released by bacteria into the bloodstream is referred to as septicemia, so this term is often closely associated with sepsis. It is only recently that this disease has come to be better understood, although treating it is still extremely difficult, and often ineffective.
Signs of sepsis
The symptoms which indicate sepsis are often mistaken for other medical conditions, so it is important that when sepsis is suspected that a qualified medical professional becomes involved to make a diagnosis. One important signal to remember is that sepsis generally follows after a person has suffered an infection of some sort because this is the condition which creates the bacteria that release poisons into the bloodstream. When any of the following signs are detected in an individual, you should get them to an emergency room as soon as possible, because their life could well be in danger.
One of the most prominent signs of sepsis is a high fever, often accompanied by chills and shivering. The onset of this fever can be very sudden, and it is usually fairly severe as well. Next, a very fast pulse or heart rate is often an identifiable symptom of sepsis, and the affected person should be able to identify this condition. A rapid breathing rate is another of the signs which generally accompany sepsis, and anyone observing the affected person should be able to clearly recognize this condition.
One last identifier of sepsis is profuse sweating, especially in conditions where it would not be expected. For instance, if the setting is fairly cool and you observe an acquaintance who is sweating severely, that would not be a normal condition, and it could be a sign of sepsis. As you can tell from all these signs and symptoms, they are things which might well be misdiagnosed and considered to be attributable to conditions other than sepsis. This is why it’s so important to have a doctor examine the affected individual, so as to make an accurate medical determination.
A severe state of sepsis can actually put the victim in shock, which is even more dangerous than beginning-state sepsis. In this situation, medical attention is urgently required, and emergency personnel should be alerted at the soonest opportunity. Severe sepsis can be identified when someone shows signs of dizziness or faintness, confusion or disorientation, slurred speech, diarrhea, vomiting, severe muscle cramps, reduced output of urine, cold and clammy skin, difficulty breathing, or loss of consciousness.
Elderly people are particularly susceptible to the onset of sepsis and should be watched closely following any infection they undergo. Signs of sepsis should be looked for so that some kind of response can immediately be initiated. It is no exaggeration to say that you might literally save someone’s life by early detection of the signs of sepsis. When you do get medical attention for your senior loved one, make sure to provide doctors with all information relative to recent surgeries, infections, or compromises of their immune system.
What causes sepsis?
By far the most common cause of sepsis is a bacterial infection, although any bodily infection can trigger the immune system response. When this does happen, the areas usually affected first are the urinary tract, the lungs, and the area around the abdomen. Sepsis can also be triggered by fungal infections, and in fact, the number of these cases has been on the rise in recent years.
Older people are much more likely to contract sepsis than are younger persons, primarily because the immune system is more likely to malfunction in later years. Those people who have undergone recent surgeries are also at increased risk of developing sepsis. Another very common risk factor for developing sepsis is any kind of chronic condition such as diabetes, AIDS, cancer, liver disease, or kidney disease.