World Sepsis Day 2024

This Friday, the 13th of September, is World Sepsis Day.

An initiative organised by the Global Sepsis Alliance, World Sepsis Day was established in 2012 to raise awareness and improve global understanding of sepsis, with the aim of reducing the number of cases and fatalities caused by this condition worldwide.

Every year, at least 11 million people die from sepsis, yet it is only known about by 7-50% of people around the world, depending on country and education. Therefore, there is a huge dearth of awareness surrounding the signs and symptoms of sepsis, as well as the importance of vaccinations in reducing the likelihood of sepsis around the world.

Why is it so essential to improve awareness? The current lack of education surrounding sepsis has made it the number one preventable cause of death worldwide, but early detection and treatment can reduce sepsis mortality rates by 50%.

From educational events to fundraising activities and sports initiatives, World Sepsis Day unites people around the world in the fight against sepsis.

To mark this date, in this blog post we’re giving you the facts you need about sepsis, including how to spot it in yourself and others and get the help you need without delay.

What is Sepsis?

Sepsis develops when the body’s infection response begins to damage its own organs and tissues. It can quickly escalate in severity, leading to shock, multi-organ failure, and, if not treated early, death. It is the most common final pathway to death from most infectious diseases, including viral infections from COVID-19.

Sepsis sometimes arises from minor cuts or grazes, often from relatively simple activities, such as gardening. In fact, one of the first patients to be treated with the antibiotic penicillin was a police officer in the 1940s who developed sepsis after a scratch from a rose thorn.

The most common infections which lead to sepsis are:

Sepsis occurs in three stages:

1. An infection gets into your bloodstream, causing inflammation.

2. Severe sepsis: this infection and inflammation affect your organ function.

3. Septic shock: this causes severe drops in blood pressure, which can lead to organ dysfunction, respiratory or heart failure, stroke, and even death.

Why is it Difficult to Spot Sepsis?

Sepsis is notoriously difficult to spot because its symptoms can be very subtle. It could be nothing more than your heart rate being slightly raised, with or without a temperature, and suddenly the illness escalates extremely quickly. Because of this, sepsis is often misdiagnosed or treated too late.

Recent research has found flaws in the screening tools used for sepsis, with only 1 of 4 of these tests demonstrating a reasonably accurate prediction rate for sepsis, correctly predicting 72.2% of all sepsis cases and 81.4% of all negative cases.

Sepsis must be diagnosed quickly, or the body’s immune system will kick into overdrive, attacking vital tissues and organs. This is what makes sepsis fatal if left untreated.

Signs and Symptoms of Sepsis and How to Spot Them

Sepsis is frequently left undiagnosed in its early stages, which is when it is most potentially reversible. It often presents itself as the clinical deterioration of common infections, such as respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urinary tract infections, or skin wounds.

Many microorganisms can cause sepsis, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. It may also be caused by infections of seasonal influenza viruses, dengue viruses, and highly transmissible pathogens of public health concern, such as Ebola and yellow fever.

The following symptoms may indicate sepsis:

Anyone can get sepsis, no matter where you live or how healthy you are. However, there are some groups who are at a higher risk, including children under a year old, adults over 60, those with chronic diseases, those who have had their spleen removed, and those with weakened immune systems.

How Can I Reduce My Chances of Developing Sepsis?

The best way to prevent sepsis is to lead a healthy lifestyle and do what you can to prevent any infections. You can do this by:

Post-Sepsis Syndrome (PSS)

Sometimes, sepsis does not end when someone is discharged from hospital. Many survivors of the disease suffer the consequences of sepsis for a long time after recovery. These can include:

Are Pregnant People More Vulnerable to Sepsis?

During pregnancy and after birth, there is a greater chance of a severe infection than if you were not pregnant at all. Physiologically, pregnancy changes the body, elevating the sepsis risk level. This risk level is higher again for those who have experienced a miscarriage, had a premature birth, urinary tract infection, or had their waters break early.

Those who gave birth via caesarean, forceps, vacuum, or who experienced a third- or fourth-degree tear during childbirth are also more vulnerable to infection.

What Should I Do if I’m Worried?

As sepsis is most often a bacterial infection, preventing the infection from developing in the first place is the most effective method of combatting sepsis. It is curable through treatment and timely clinical management when caught in its early stages. “A good protection against sepsis comes from maintaining good physical fitness, attention to staying healthy and keeping up with immunisations such as tetanus,” says Stephen Hughes, an emergency medicine consultant and senior lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University.

Sepsis is usually treated via:

The UK Sepsis Trust has devised 6 signs of severe sepsis, suggesting you seek immediate medical attention or call 999 if you spot any of them:

1. Slurred speech or confusion

2. Extreme shivering or muscle pain, fever

3. Passing no urine all-day

4. Severe breathlessness

5. It feels like you’re going to die

6. Skin mottled or discoloured

Call an ambulance or go straight to A&E for urgent medical help if you have any of these symptoms.

Learn More About Sepsis

If you’d like to participate and get involved this World Sepsis Day, there are many fundraising and educational activities to get involved in.

Since sepsis is so poorly known about worldwide, learning more and educating others about sepsis is an excellent way to raise awareness and potentially save lives. Learn more and donate to current research on World Sepsis Day’s website.

Remember: Sepsis is a life-threatening illness caused by a poor response to infection. It occurs when your body’s immune system response spirals out of control, triggering extensive inflammation. If you believe you or someone else has sepsis, seek medical attention immediately.