Understanding sepsisArticle By: Cynthia Ross Cravit
Sepsis, sometimes referred to as blood poisoning, is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide each year.
The recent tragic death of a young Brazilian model from a blood-borne infection, or sepsis, has once again drawn media attention to this life-threatening condition. Severe sepsis, which is caused when an infection causes the body's immune system to go into overdrive, affects 750,000 people in the United States each year, according to the Mayo Clinic. Of these, more than 200,000 people die from it. And according to the Emergency Medicine Journal, 18 million cases of severe sepsis occur each year worldwide and 1400 people die each day from the condition. More people die from sepsis, for example, than from breast or colon cancer. So what is sepsis exactly – and more importantly, what can be done to treat it? The immune system goes 'haywire' Sepsis is usually brought on by the body's reaction to an infection like pneumonia, but even a minor infection such as strep throat or influenza can act as a trigger. The body's natural immune response to infection causes inflammation – which helps the body to repair itself and heal damaged tissues – and is typically marked by an elevated heart rate, rapid breathing and abnormal temperature. While sepsis is not usually life threatening, complications arising from it can cause serious illness and death. Severe sepsis occurs when the immune response goes into overdrive, triggering widespread inflammation and blood clotting in tiny vessels throughout the body. When this happens, one or more organs may stop working properly or even fail altogether. Sepsis can also lead to a dangerous drop in blood pressure (septic shock). "Basically, the immune system goes haywire after contracting an infection and begins to overreact," Dr. Greg Martin of Emory University in Atlanta told CNN. Can result from any kind of infection Most commonly, bacterial infections lead to sepsis, but it can be caused by any type of infection — bacterial, viral, parasitic or fungal. Common infection sites include the lungs (pneumonia), kidneys, skin, abdomen, bowel and pelvis.
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