Definition:
Sepsis is a life-threatening medical condition marked by a whole-body inflammatory state caused by the presence of pathological microorganisms in the blood. Sepsis can affect an individual of any age but is most common in infants (neonatal sepsis). This is because the immune systems of infants are not yet fully developed to fight off infections.
Diagnosis:
The most effective diagnostic procedure to establish diagnosis of sepsis is through blood examination.
Treatment:
Finding the source of the infection and treating the origin of the infection is one of the vital steps in the treatment of sepsis. Antibiotics are important part of treatment therapy aimed at stopping sepsis. Appropriate support for organ dysfunction is first hand to prevent fatal incidents.
Symptoms and Signs:
Generally, sepsis is marked by signs indicating acute inflammation all throughout the body combined with fever and elevated white blood cell count.
Common symptoms that may be present include:
• Shivering and chills accompanied by evident rise in body temperature
• Muscle aches and pain
• Rapid heart rate usually more than 100 beats per minute
• Inappropriately low blood pressure (hypotension)
• Cyanosis or blue skin
• Shortness of breath
• Urine output less than 500 ml within a 24 hour period
• Excessive headache
Causes:
Sepsis is caused by bacterial infection, which can originate in any part of the body mostly in the internal organs like kidney, liver, bladder among others. There are also cases of sepsis wherein the cause is rooted to originate from contaminated surgical wounds and drains, intravenous lines, and from skin ulcers and bed sores.
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