It’s called sepsis and it can kill within hours. Although people with underlying health issues like diabetes are at an increased risk it can attack anyone. The recent death of a 12 year old spurred the state of New York to require that all hospitals adopt protocols to enable the early diagnosis and treatment of sepsis. That measure may have reduced the risk of anyone dying (child or adult) by 21%.
What is sepsis? It’s an inappropriate response by your immune system to an infection. Different organs in the body fail as the blood pressure drops and the person falls into a coma and dies. It’s reversible if it’s caught early and the right antibiotics are used to fight the infection along with other supportive measures.
The United Nations World Health Assembly passed a landmark resolution in May 2017 that urged all the nations who are members of the World Health Organization to recognize the challenge and to take steps to prevent, diagnose and manage sepsis because approximately 25-30% of all people will die during an acute attack. The death rate is even higher in low income countries.
What do you need to know about it so that you can help us to reduce the burden of this disease?
Hand washing and breast feeding all help to reduce the number of people who develop sepsis. Recognize the signs. The combination of: 1) a fast heart rate (more than 100 beats per minute); 2) high fever; and, 3) confusion.
Early diagnosis and treatment with the right antibiotics will save lives but only if doctors think of it as a possibility so part of the international effort is going towards educating health care professionals to think of it under the right circumstances.
We all have a role to play. Understanding your body and how it responds to illness will help you to be aware when the response is out of kilter and medical help is needed. Knowledge itself is power. Hopefully you are now all a bit more empowered!