BEWARE SEPSIS – THE SILENT KILLER

We should all know a lot more about sepsis than we do. It killed 46,000 people this year alone. Yet it’s still something of an enigma. We spotlight a condition that is potentially life threatening, yet whose symptoms are often vague.

Clinical lead Nicky Ore became seriously ill through sepsis.

SO WHAT IS IT AND WHY DO WE NEED TO BE VIGILANT?

The name is itself a new phenomenon. It’s been called blood poisoning – but it’s not just in the blood. In fact sepsis is a reaction by the entire body to severe infection where bacteria, viruses or fungi multiply and release poisons into the blood. It can cause serious illness needing emergency treatment.

Anyone can develop sepsis after an injury or minor infection, although some people are more vulnerable. Men are more likely to develop sepsis, but the death rate is higher among women. Some people even suffer from post traumatic stress disorder following their experience.

HOW DO WE KNOW WHEN TO ACT?

Clinical lead Nicky Ore says people should be aware and act quickly if someone shows signs of being at risk. Although an experienced nurse, she became too ill to recognise symptoms in herself.

“I’d been working long hours during a heat wave and started feeling tired and unwell. I put it down to pushing myself a bit too much, took painkillers and had an early night.

“I woke up still feeling unwell, but with a busy day ahead I went to work. It was scorching outside but I was shivering and struggling to think straight. I had no idea how ill I was.

When Nicky’s lips and nail beds turned blue colleagues realised something was seriously wrong. They took her to hospital where she spent two days on a high dependency unit.

Nicky needed two months off work to recover. “Sepsis wipes you out physically and mentally and recovery is very slow. I temporarily lost my short term memory – that really scared me. My family was devastated too, it’s affected us all.”

She was told afterwards that the trigger was a severe kidney infection and dehydration.

Her advice to others who are concerned? “I’d tell anyone who thinks someone may be at risk of sepsis to seek medical advice on their behalf. It may be something less serious but it’s not worth taking a chance.”

• The Sepsis Trust offers information on those most at risk, signs and symptoms and guidance on where and when to get help. www.sepsistrust.org

EARLY SYMPTOMS:

• High temperature (fever) or low body temperature

• Chills and shivering

• Fast heartbeat

• Fast breathing.

OTHER SYMPTOMS:

• Feeling very sleepy or about to lose consciousness

• Severe tummy pain

• Feeling very dizzy or faint, or having a fit

• A rash which does not fade with pressure

• Not eating any food or drinking any fluid

• Being sick repeatedly.

LONGER TERM SYMPTOMS:

Some people experience long term physical and/or psychological problems during their recovery period, such as:

• Feeling lethargic or excessively tired

• Muscle weakness

• Swollen limbs or joint pain

• Chest pain or breathlessness.

These long-term problems are known as post sepsis syndrome. Not everyone experiences these problems.