Identify and treat blood poisoning quickly
Christine Albert studied German linguistics and literature as well as Scandinavian studies at the Albert Ludwigs University in Freiburg. She is currently doing a traineeship at Hubert Burda Media and is writing, among other things, for
More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.Tens of thousands of people die from sepsis every year. According to patient advocates, many deaths could be prevented if the blood poisoning is diagnosed earlier. What are warning signs?
Blood poisoning is often recognized too late. This can lead to serious long-term consequences or, in the worst case, death, warns the patient safety alliance. Sepsis, as blood poisoning is known in technical terms, is sometimes difficult to distinguish from the flu.
Symptoms similar to flu
Warnings include chills, fever, racing heart, confusion and an extreme feeling of illness. If at least two of these symptoms occur, one should also think about sepsis and have it clarified. Because the treatment of blood poisoning has to start as soon as possible - with every hour that passes, the chances of survival decrease, emphasize the patient advocates. It is an emergency - like an acute heart attack or stroke.
Risk group: elderly and very small
Older people over 60 years of age, the chronically ill and people with a weak immune system belong to the risk group for sepsis. In addition to good hygiene, infection protection vaccinations are the most important protection.
According to the information, even toddlers under one year of age are a risk group. Possible warning signs here are that they are breathing heavily, feeling unusually cold and feverish, moving slowly, cramping, not drinking or eating, and vomiting repeatedly or having diarrhea. The same applies here: If at least two of these symptoms occur, it could be blood poisoning.
The body can no longer contain the infection
According to the experts, sepsis occurs when the body's own defense mechanisms can no longer contain an initially localized infection. A chain reaction then ensues in the body, causing damage to organs and tissues. If left untreated, it leads to failure of the lungs, kidneys and other organs, as well as the cardiovascular system, and ultimately death.
According to the action alliance, around 75,000 people in Germany die of blood poisoning every year - every fourth to fifth of these deaths is therefore considered to be preventable.
Treat simple sepsis
In the case of simple sepsis, it is usually not necessary to stay in the intensive care unit. In this case, it is sufficient to eliminate the source of the infection and start therapy with antibiotics, as bacteria are usually responsible for blood poisoning. If it is a fungal (Candida sepsis), virus or parasite infection, this must be treated accordingly.
Treat severe sepsis
In the case of severe blood poisoning, in addition to eliminating the source of infection and antibiotic therapy, the restricted organ functions must also be taken into account. With this more dangerous course of sepsis, it is always necessary to equip an intensive care unit.
In any case, the pathogen should be precisely named and analyzed in order to be able to select the best therapy. Depending on the pathogen, you can then select, for example, an antibiotic or an antifungal agent (antimycotic). (approx / dpa)
