25 July 2023 , 14:00
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Around 48,000 people die from sepsis every year in the UK, but 25 percent of these fatalities are preventable - making symptom awareness front and centre.
The life-threatening condition occurs when the immune system overreacts to an infection and starts to damage the body’s own tissues and organs, explains the NHS.
While sepsis can’t be spread from person to person, a contagious infection can lead to the deadly reaction. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that these infections most often start in the lung, urinary tract, skin, or gastrointestinal tract.
A patient who is suffering from sepsis may experience a shortness of breath, rapid heart rate, confusion or a shivery fever sensation.
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Confusion is a warning sign of sepsis (Getty Images)If the infection has entered the body through a minor cut, the area surrounding the wound will become red, swollen and warm to touch. If the condition is triggered by an infection in the cut or colon, it could lead to moderate-to-severe diarrhoea.
This symptom will be obvious to the sufferer, as diarrhoea can cause discomfort. But in some cases, sepsis can generate some difficult-to-spot red flags.
According to NHS Inform, the most common symptoms of sepsis include:
Loss of consciousness
Severe breathlessness
A high temperature (fever) or low body temperature
A change in mental state – like confusion or disorientation
Slurred speech
Cold, clammy and pale or mottled skin
A fast heartbeat
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Fast breathing
Chills and shivering
Severe muscle pain
Feeling dizzy or faint
Nausea and vomiting
Diarrhoea
You are advised to call 999 immediately or visit A&E if you, or someone you know, is suffering from any of the symptoms listed above. The UK Sepsis Trust has also highlighted that feeling like you’re going to die and passing no urine in a day as warning signs.
Diarrhoea could be a tell-tale symptom of sepsis (Getty Images)The charity adds that common symptoms that strike in children include:
Breathing very fast
Having a ‘fit’ or convulsion
Skin looking mottled, bluish, or pale
Having a rash that does not fade when you press it
Feeling very lethargic, or difficult to wake
Feeling abnormally cold to touch
A child under the age of five may have sepsis if he or she:
Is not feeding
Is vomiting repeatedly
Has not passed urine for 12 hours
Who is at greater risk of developing sepsis?
Anyone can develop sepsis, but some people face a higher risk of the devastating condition. According to the CDC, these people include:
Adults over 65
Children younger than one
People with weakened immune systems
People with chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, lung disease, cancer, and kidney disease
People with recent severe illness or hospitalisation
People who survived sepsis
Adults over 65 face a greater risk of developing sepsis (Getty Images/iStockphoto)The UK Sepsis Trust adds: “Sepsis is indiscriminate: while it primarily affects very young children and older adults, and is also more common in people with underlying health conditions, it can sometimes be triggered in those who are otherwise fit and healthy.”
Around five people die with sepsis every hour in the UK, but a person’s chances of survival are highly dependent on them getting medical intensive care as soon as possible.
A person is more likely to live if they receive medical attention quickly, and treatments include oxygen therapy, intravenous fluids, medication, antibiotics and surgery.