Sepsis
Also called: septicemia
A life-threatening complication of an infection.
- Requires a medical diagnosis
- Lab tests or imaging always required
- Treatable by a medical professional
- Short-term: resolves within days to weeks
- Critical: needs emergency care
Sepsis occurs when chemicals released in the bloodstream to fight an infection trigger inflammation throughout the body. This can cause a cascade of changes that damage multiple organ systems, leading them to fail, sometimes even resulting in death.
Common: More than 200,000 US cases per year
Consult a doctor for medical advice
Sources: Mayo Clinic and others. Learn more
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Sepsis is a serious condition in which the body responds improperly to an infection. The infection-fighting processes turn on the body, causing the organs ...
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