1. What is sepsis?
Sepsis is a fatal medical condition that may cause damage to multiple organs due to an unbalanced amount of chemicals released by the body's immune system to fight off an infection.
2. What is the cause of sepsis?
Sepsis occurs due to an infection of bacterial, fungal or viral origin, for example, pneumonia, infections in the blood, kidney infection, infection of the digestive system and other related conditions. The body attempts to fight off the infection, but if the response is intense, it may lead to sepsis or septicaemia.
3. How are sepsis and tetanus different?
Tetanus occurs due to the presence of bacterial endotoxins, whereas sepsis occurs as a result of the immune system's flared up response to an infection.
4. What are the signs and sypmtoms of sepsis?
For sepsis to occur, there must be an infection in the body. The signs of sepsis include a changed mental status, initial increase in systolic blood pressure and a respiratory rate of 22 or more breaths in a minute.
5. What stage is septic-shock in sepsis?
Sepsis can turn into septic shock when there is a significant drop in the blood pressure, which can lead to multiple organ failure and sometimes death. The third stage in sepsis is septic shock.