During Sepsis Awareness Month, it is essential to highlight that despite campaigns to raise public awareness and alert medical personnel of signs and symptoms.
Sepsis kills five people every hour and accounts for about 50,000 deaths per year in the UK alone, purely because of delays in diagnosis and treatment.
These figures are shocking. How does Sepsis remain such a leading killer? Awareness, early detection and treatment are the key.
If not fatal, Sepsis can still cause severe disablement among children and adults. Early detection and treatment is vital to achieve a better outcome.
Please do not be afraid to ask, "Could it be sepsis?"
Sepsis, also referred to as septicaemia or blood poisoning, occurs when the body's immune system ramps up to overdrive to fight an infection. Symptoms of Sepsis vary between adults and children. Be aware and look out for the following signs:
In children:
- a mottled, bluish or pale appearance of the skin or lips
- lethargy difficult to wake
- unusually cold to touch
- rapid breathing
- a rash that does not fade when you press it
- a seizure or convulsion.
In adults:
- slurred speech
- rigors – extreme shivering or muscle pain
- passing no urine in a day
- severe breathlessness
- high heart rate and high or low body temperature
- mottled or discoloured skin or lips.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.