Every hour counts: Would you know how to recognize sepsis?

Berlin (dpa)  – It's often preventable, and yet around one in every five people will die from it. Sepsis, sometimes called blood poisoning, is one of the most frequent causes of death worldwide and happens when the body’s immune system has an extreme response to an infection. Often it occurs during a bacterial infection, but it could also develop during some other infection like Covid-19 or from any virus, parasite or fungus. The body’s immune response begins to attack its own organs, which when left untreated, can be fatal. In the race to help the patient, every hour counts, so it is all the more important to know the signs in order to act quickly. Health experts have come up with four simple steps to help you avoid missing sepsis symptoms during severe infections, in yourself or others: Feel your head: Is thinking difficult? Confusion and disorientation can be warning signs. Feel your chest: Is breathing impaired? Breathlessness, shortness of breath or rapid breathing are critical signs. Feel your heart: Is your pulse racing? A racing heart or low blood pressure are also signs. Feel your body: Do you feel desperately ill? Unexplained severe pain or an extreme state of illness should raise the alarm. Sepsis is a life-threatening emergency. If one or more of these symptoms occur alongside an existing infection, you should immediately call an ambulance. The following information is not intended for publication dpa/tmn lue yyzz n1 neb coh

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