While many of us will have never considered that we might one day come across this infection, sepsis is far more common than some of us might think. It can even be mistaken for everyday health ailments like a flu, or even a hangover.
BBC Morning Live’s regular medical expert Dr Ranj has warned that sepsis may not be easily identified, as people may brush off its symptoms. The doctor spoke to presenters Michelle Ackerley and Gethin Jones in the studio on Monday about crucial signs of sepsis to watch out for.
Gethin raised the concern, saying: “Some of the symptoms can be mistaken for flu or other winter bugs”. And Dr Ranj added: “It can be a serious condition, sepsis is the potential result of any infection… It happens because either the infection is severe, or the body’s immune system doesn’t react appropriately.”
While Dr Ranj described it as “relatively rare”, some 50,000 people pass away from sepsis in the UK each year. This works out to around five people every hour.
The doctor said symptoms “can be similar to other conditions, particularly in the early stages, so it can get mistaken for flu or even hangovers”, reported the Mirror.
He highlighted that “very small children, the elderly and those with immune system problems” are especially vulnerable to the infection. He also explained that sepsis might be more common with particular pathogens such as meningitis, Group B strep in infants, and UTIs in older adults
Michelle asked for more specific symptoms to look out for, and Dr Ranj replied: “The signs can be different in small children, particularly, to adults. They can be difficult to spot, there is no one test for sepsis.”
However, he also explained that common symptoms of the infection can be detailed using the mnemonic SEPSIS, as below:
Slurred speech or confusion
Extreme shivering or muscle pain
Passing no urine (in a day)
Severe breathlessness
It feels like you’re going to die
Skin mottled or discoloured
NHS guidance further advises people to all 999 or go to A&E if a baby or young child has any of these symptoms:
- blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue. On brown or black skin, this may be easier to spot on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet
- a rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it (the same as meningitis)
- difficulty breathing (you may notice grunting noises or their stomach sucking under their ribcage), breathlessness or breathing very fast
- a weak, high-pitched cry that’s not like their normal cry
- not responding like they normally do, or not interested in feeding or normal activities
- being sleepier than normal or difficult to wake
Other sepsis symptoms in adults include:
- acting confused, slurred speech or not making sense
- blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue, which may again be easier to see on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet on darker skin tones
- a rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it
- difficulty breathing, breathlessness or breathing very fast
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