Howto spot signs ofsepsis
TUESDAY Life-threatening condition can develop when the body’s immune system attacks tissue and organs
SOMETHING as trivial as a minor cut or sore throat can develop into life-threatening sepsis – and it’s a growing problem in the UK.
“Sepsis isn’t one disease, but the result of your body’s immune system going into overdrive in response to an infection or injury,” said Dr Ron Daniels, a consultant in critical care at Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust and chief executive of The UK Sepsis Trust.
“Normally our immune system fights off infection, but sometimes it starts attacking the body’s own tissues and organs, resulting in organ failure and death.”
About 250,000 people in the UK develop sepsis every year, and it accounts for more than one in four intensive care admissions. Yet the symptoms aren’t as well BY JO WATERS recognised as those of a heart attack or meningitis.
TV presenter Fern Britton, 61, is one high-profile celebrity who developed sepsis – in her case, as the result of an abscess following a hysterectomy to remove fibroids in 2016. She suffered nausea, shivering, muscle and joint pain, and pneumonia.
“There’s been an eight to 13 per cent increase per year over the past 10 years,” says Dr Daniels.
“Although part of this is down to greater awareness and a growing and ageing population, that doesn’t fully explain it.
“We believe it’s entirely plausible that the increase is at least partly fuelled by the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. This is why it’s so vital that people recognise the signs so they can be treated with the right type of antibiotics as early as possible.” But despite incidents of sepsis being on the increase, survival rates are also improving thanks to greater awareness of the symptoms among medics. “In the past 10 years, the survival rate for sepsis has increased from 70 to 80 per cent,” said Dr Daniels. Go to sepsistrust.org for more information This feature is from February’s issue of Healthy Food Guide (in supermarkets and WH Smith). Go to healthyfood. co.uk for subscriptions. ANYONE can develop sepsis from an infection or injury, but those at highest risk are babies and older people, those with chronic and serious illnesses, such as diabetes or cancer, and people with an impaired immune system. Seek urgent medical help if you or someone else develops any of these signs: ● Slurred speech or confusion ● Extreme shivering or muscle pain ● Passing no urine over the course of
a day ● Severe breathlessness ● You feel as if you’re going to die ● Skin is mottled or discoloured If your child is unwell and has either a fever or a very low temperature (or has had a fever in the past 24 hours), seek urgent medical help and ask, “Could they have sepsis?” A child may have sepsis if he or she: ● Is breathing very fast ● Has a fit or convulsion ● Looks mottled, blue or pale ● Has a rash that does not fade when you press it ● Is very lethargic and difficult to wake ● Feels abnormally cold to touch A child under five may have sepsis if he or she: ● Is not feeding ● Is vomiting repeatedly ● Has not passed urine for 12 hours