By Dr. Iryna Chastain
Division of Hospital Medicine

Sepsis occurs when your body has an extreme response to an infection. The immune cells in your body that normally work to protect you begin to harm normal, healthy cells. This can quickly lead to damage to the heart, lungs, and other organs. Any type of infection can lead to sepsis. This includes bacterial, viral or fungal infections. Those that more commonly cause sepsis include infections of the lungs, such as pneumonia; infections of the kidneys, bladder and other parts of the urinary system; infections of the digestive system such as the colon or small intestines; as well as bloodstream infections and infections from wounds.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that needs to be treated quickly at a hospital. For every hour of delayed treatment, it is estimated the risk of death increases by 4% – 9%. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sepsis affects 1.7 million adults each year in the U.S. and causes approximately 350,000 deaths.

Be aware that some conditions can increase your risk of infection and getting sepsis, including:

• Being older than 65
• Having a compromised immune system
• Certain malignancies, especially blood cancers
• Being treated for cancer with chemotherapy
• Autoimmune diseases
• Being treated with immunosuppressive drugs, such as for HIV
• Chronic conditions, such as diabetes and heart, kidney or liver failure
• A recent infection and receiving antibiotics
• An invasive procedure and medical devices left in a body, such as intravenous or urinary catheters

The graphic below shows some of the key signs of sepsis. Other signs of sepsis can include dizziness or lightheadedness, falls from low blood pressure, dehydration and thirst, decreased urine output, and dry skin and mucous membranes.

As infection and sepsis worsen, it can lead to septic shock. This causes low blood pressure, decreased blood supply to organs, and possibly organ failure. Most people recover from mild sepsis, but septic shock is a much more serious condition. It requires admission to a hospital intensive care unit and has much higher mortality, up to 30-40%. That’s why it is very important to see a doctor as soon as possible with any signs of sepsis. Early treatment with intravenous fluids and antibiotics will prevent development of septic shock and assists in early and complete recovery.

Learn more about the warning signs of sepsis below and at sepsis.org