2 minutes read.
Facts About Sepsis.
Sepsis can happen when an infection you already have can get out of control and injure your body’s tissues and organs. Unfortunately, this could lead to you going into shock, having multiple organ failure, and worse still, you could die.
Usually, it is bacterial infections that cause most of sepsis cases. However, other infections like Covid or influenza can cause sepsis. The usual culprits are infections of your lungs, urinary tract, skin and gastrointestinal tract.
Anyone can contract sepsis but people who are at the most risk of contracting it are those:-
- Over the age of 65.
- Who have weakened immune systems.
- Who have chronic medical conditions like diabetes, lung disease, cancer and kidney disease.
- Had a recent severe illness or hospitalization.
- Who has survived sepsis.
- Under the age of 1 year old.
5 people in the UK die every hour from sepsis and nearly 270,000 die from sepsis each year in the US. According to the University of Washington, sepsis affects 49 million people throughout the world. 11 million people die of it; in fact, globally, sepsis causes 1 in 5 deaths.
In the UK, sepsis causes more deaths annually than breast and bowel cancer put together.
Each year, there are approximately 25,000 childhood sepsis cases. Check out this video for the signs in children.
6 Alarming Symptoms of Sepsis to be Aware of.
1. Slurred speech, confusion or disorientation.
2. Passing no urine all day.
3. Extreme shivering or feeling very cold, fever, extreme pain or discomfort.
4. Severe breathlessness.
5. It feels like you’re going to die.
6. Skin is blue, mottled or discoloured.
Sepsis can also cause your heart rate to increase and your blood pressure to drop.
If you have any of these symptoms or notice them in anyone else then, seek help immediately.
Are there any ways to prevent contracting sepsis?
Well, the key is to try and prevent getting an infection in the first place by:-
- Keeping up-to-date with any vaccines.
- Clean and care for any wounds.
- Not only following instructions when taking antibiotics but also ensuring you finish the course.
- Wash your hands regularly. And thoroughly.
I don’t know anyone who had sepsis, do you?
Thank you for reading.
Rachel x
Sources: sepsisresearch.org.uk, cdc.gov, nhs.uk, who.int, sepsistrust.org, mayoclinic.org, medicalnewstoday.com, global-sepsis-alliance.org
I didn’t know anyone who had sepsis until a few years ago. My sister had it and was very ill in hospital for weeks. Thankfully, she has fully recovered. Soon after, one of my daughter’s teachers contracted sepsis. Sadly, he passed away a few weeks later. Thanks for raising awareness.
I’m glad to hear your sister made a full recovery. Must have been a horrible time for you all.
Yes. It was a very scary time.
A very interesting and informative article, Rachel. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Paul. I didn’t realise how prevalent it is and the fact a simple infection can get so dangerously out of control.
Nor did I. Again, I thank you for sharing this valuable information!
I think even just feeling fluey for no good reason is worth checking out. I know a mum who had a scratch on her foot that wasn’t heeling, she felt rough as hell and got sent to A&E, turned out she had early sepsis and was really lucky to have got a diagnosis so quickly.
After boy3 was born, the post mortem told us that there was an infection going on. If he hadn’t come out when he did the risk to me would have been very high even though they’d done lots of blood work and were constantly monitoring me. If the infection had got out of the placenta and into me, I would have deteriorated very fast.
Wonderful post Rachel, thank you.
I’m so glad to read your friend was ok and again, so sorry for what you went through with your baby.🤗
Thank you lovely
I didn’t know sepsis was so common. People believe that antibiotics can cure everything and neglect hygiene. The COVID will have taught us that we must not neglect the basic rules. Very interesting article, Rachel.
Wow. What an incredibly eye opening post! This actually happened to my sister I was not there unfortunately but this is such helpful information thank you so much for sharing!
Oh no. I hope your sister made a full recovery.
Sepsis is a very real problem, and although it is a risk we need to be aware of, I’d never looked into it. So thank you for sharing this useful information
Bookmarking this for future reference – I had no idea how prevalent sepsis was, thank you for sharing this, Rachel.
Wow, thank you, Lisa.
Yes, it has affected our family too. Thanks for raising awareness.