Key facts
- Sepsis is one of the most common causes of death worldwide, but there are challenges in collecting reliable data on it at the population level (1) .
- Based on published data, in 2020, there were approximately 48.9 million sepsis cases and 11 million sepsis deaths worldwide, representing 20% of all global deaths (2) .
- Children under five years of age cause nearly half of all estimated cases of sepsis (20 million cases) worldwide.
- It is estimated that 15 out of every 1,000 patients admitted to hospital develop sepsis as a complication of their access to health care
- Although sepsis can affect anyone around the world, there are large regional variations in infection and mortality rates, with infection rates highest in lower-middle-income countries (2) .
- Sepsis is an expensive disease to treat; It is estimated that the cost of hospitalization generally exceeds US$32,000 on average per patient in high-income countries (3) .
Overview
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body's immune system has a severe response to an infection, causing organ dysfunction (4) . The body's reaction causes damage to its tissues and organs and can result in shock, multi-organ failure, and sometimes death, especially if it is not recognized early and treated immediately.
Sepsis can affect anyone, but the elderly, the very young, pregnant women, or those with other health problems are most at risk.
Common signs of sepsis include fever, rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing, confusion, and body aches. This can lead to septic shock, multi-organ failure, and death.
Sepsis is usually caused by bacterial infections, but it may be caused by other infections such as viruses, parasites or fungi. Its treatment requires medical care that includes the use of antimicrobials, intravenous fluids, and other measures.
Healthcare-acquired sepsis is one of the most frequent types of adverse events occurring in the delivery of care, affecting hundreds of millions of patients worldwide annually.
Healthcare-associated infections are often caused by drug-resistant pathogens and can cause clinical conditions to rapidly deteriorate. Antimicrobial resistance is a major factor determining the lack of clinical response to treatment and the rapid development of sepsis and septic shock. It has been shown that sepsis patients suffering from drug-resistant pathogens are more likely to die in the hospital, as estimates indicated that 2019 witnessed 4.59 million deaths due to antimicrobial resistance, of which 1.27 million deaths were directly attributed to that resistance (5 ) .
Implementing infection prevention measures, such as good hygiene practices, ensuring access to vaccination programs, improving the quality and availability of sanitation and water services, and other infection prevention and control practices, in both community settings and health care facilities, are key steps in reducing the incidence of sepsis. . Early diagnosis of sepsis and its timely and appropriate clinical management, such as optimal use of antimicrobials and fluid resuscitation, are crucial to increasing the likelihood of survival. Although the onset of sepsis can be severe and pose a short-term mortality burden, it can also cause significant long-term morbidity that requires treatment and support, so a multidisciplinary approach to sepsis treatment is required.
Who are the groups at risk?
Anyone with a severe infection, injury, or serious noncommunicable disease can develop sepsis, but vulnerable populations are most at risk (6,7) , including:
- the elderly
- Pregnant or newly pregnant women
- Births
- Patients admitted to hospitals
- Patients in intensive care units
- People with weakened immune systems (such as those with HIV and cancer)
- People with chronic medical conditions (such as kidney disease, cirrhosis).
Signs and symptoms
Sepsis is a medical emergency and can cause different signs and symptoms at different times. People who think they may have sepsis should seek medical care immediately.
Common signs and symptoms of the disease include:
- Fever or low body temperature and shivering
- Confusion
- Breathing difficulty
- Sticky and sweaty skin
- Severe body pain or discomfort
- High heart rate, weak pulse, or low blood pressure
- Decreased urine production.
Symptoms of sepsis in children include the following:
- Rapid breathing
- Convulsions
- Pale skin
- Idleness
- Difficulty waking up
- Feeling cold to the touch.
Sepsis can cause difficulty feeding, frequent vomiting, or decreased urination in children under the age of five.
protection
Sepsis can be prevented by treating infections early and maintaining good hygiene at home and in health care facilities.
The best way to reduce the risk of sepsis is to avoid infection. The steps include the following:
- Good personal hygiene, such as hand washing and safe food preparation
- Avoid using unclean water or unclean toilets
- Take vaccinations recommended by local health officials
- Follow a healthy eating pattern
- Breastfeeding newborns.
Hospitals and clinics should follow effective infection prevention and control rules. Antibiotics should also be used appropriately to treat the infection.
Sepsis is always a serious condition, but people with HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and other infectious diseases are at greater risk.
treatment
Sepsis treatment is most effective when started early.
Health workers watch for worrisome signs and perform tests to diagnose sepsis, and then work to find the source of the infection. Early use of antimicrobials to treat bacteria, parasites, fungi or viruses is essential to achieving results in the treatment of sepsis.
Low blood pressure is treated with intravenous fluids and sometimes medications called vasopressors, which can increase blood pressure.
Antibiotic resistance can make treatment more difficult.
Sustainable development goals
Sepsis is a major cause of maternal, neonatal and child mortality, and combating it thus contributes to achieving target 3.8 on quality of care and targets 3.1 and 3.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals by reducing mortality rates among these vulnerable populations. Sepsis can also ultimately lead to death in patients infected with HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and the other infectious diseases listed in target 3.3. Prevention and/or appropriate diagnosis and management of sepsis also depend on adequate vaccine coverage, good universal health coverage, capacity to comply with the International Health Regulations, preparedness, and water and sanitation services. However, a challenge remains in how to achieve comprehensive prevention, diagnosis and management of sepsis.