Sepsis or septicemia is the syndrome of systemic inflammatory response to a severe infection, characterized by a lesion of the vascular endothelium. This response arises in the presence of microorganisms that cause endothelial damage. Elevated temperature or hypothermia, changes in respiratory rate, rashes, and chills characterize sepsis. This reaction causes uncontrolled inflammation in the body that can lead to death.
Patients are diagnosed with sepsis when they show clinical signs of infection or systemic inflammation; Sepsis is not diagnosed based on the location of the infection or the name of the causative microbe. Doctors rely on a list of signs and symptoms to make a diagnosis of sepsis, such as irregularities in body temperature, heart rate, breathing rate, and white blood cell count. Sepsis can be diagnosed in a 72-year-old man with pneumonia, fever, and high white blood cell count, as well as in a 3-month-old baby with appendicitis, low body temperature, and low white blood cell count..
Sepsis or septicemia is a serious disease. It occurs when the body has an overwhelming immune response to a bacterial infection. Chemicals released into the blood to fight infection trigger widespread inflammation, leading to blood clots and leaking of the blood vessels. This causes poor blood flow, which deprives the organs of nutrients and oxygen. In the most severe cases, one or more organs may fail. In the worst case, low blood pressure and the heart weaken, leading to septic shock
Neonatal sepsis is an infection that babies who are less than 90 days old can suffer. It is the most common cause of infant mortality in developing countries, and men are more likely to suffer it than girls. A distinction can be made between early-onset neonatal sepsis (arising in the first week of life) and late-onset neonatal sepsis (occurring between 7 and 90 days of life).
Based on the most recent advances in nanotechnology and microfluidics, a group of scientists has developed a device capable of rapidly removing pathogens from the blood of those suffering from sepsis. Importantly, this disease is life-threatening as it facilitates the spread of infections through the bloodstream.
