Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when the body's response to an infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. It happens when an infection you already have triggers a chain reaction throughout your body, leading to widespread inflammation that can cause tissue damage, organ failure, and even death. Key points about sepsis:
- It is the body's extreme and toxic response to an infection.
- It can start from infections in areas like the lungs, urinary tract, skin, or gastrointestinal tract.
- Common signs include fever, increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, confusion, clammy or sweaty skin, extreme pain, and shivering.
- It can progress to severe sepsis or septic shock, where blood pressure drops dangerously low, leading to multi-organ failure.
- Anyone can get sepsis, but the very young, elderly, and people with weakened immune systems or chronic conditions are at higher risk.
Sepsis is a medical emergency that requires rapid diagnosis and treatment to prevent severe damage and death. In summary, sepsis is the body's harmful overreaction to an infection that causes widespread inflammation and damage to organs and tissues.
