Sepsis is when the immune system responds to a serious infection by attacking the body's own organs and tissues. The infection can originate in many body parts, including the lungs, intestines, urinary tract, or skin.
Sepsis causes the body's normal reaction to infection to go into overdrive. Bacteria from the infection and the toxins they create can change a person's body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure, and prevent the body's organs from working properly.
Sepsis can be frightening because it can lead to serious complications that affect the kidneys, lungs, brain, and hearing, and can even cause death. Sepsis can affect people of any age, but is more common in:
- infants under 3 months, whose immune systems haven't developed enough to fight off overwhelming infections
- the elderly
- people with chronic medical conditions
- those whose immune systems are compromised from conditions such as HIV
If your infant has a rectal temperature of 100.4°F (38°C), seems lethargic, irritable, uninterested in eating, or seems to be having difficulty breathing or appears ill, call your doctor right away.
In older kids, symptoms may include a fever, irritability, difficulty breathing, and lethargy. Your child may also seem irritable, confused, have trouble breathing, have a rash, appear ill, or may complain that his or her heart feels like it's racing. Call your doctor right away if your child has these symptoms.
No comments:
Post a Comment