Sepsis Early Symptoms: Noticing These Changes In Your Breathing And Pulse Could Be Warning Signs

About 1.7 million Americans develop sepsis every year and nearly 270,000 die due to it. Sepsis is caused by the body’s immune system working overtime to fight infection. If left untreated, sepsis can result in septic shock- a life-threatening drop in blood pressure which cal lead to the failure of several organs including the liver, lungs, and kidneys.

Sepsis is a major challenge in hospitals and is one of the leading cause of hospital-related deaths and readmissions. The condition not only occurs in an unpredictable manner but can also progress rapidly.

Since sepsis can occur in different parts of the body, it can exhibit different symptoms. But, the first signs are noticed in one’s breathing and pulse.

Early warning signs of sepsis: Rapid breathing and rapid pulse

When your body is fighting an infection, a large number of chemicals are released into the blood and the process triggers the widespread infection. This can lead to blood clots and leaky blood vessels and as a result, blood flow is impaired. As the condition worsens, the heart beats rapidly and a person’s breathing and pulse get rapid. Sometimes, it can also rapidly progress into acute respiratory distress syndrome which is a life-threatening lung condition.

Other symptoms of sepsis include fever, chills, very low body temperature, urinating less than normal, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Sepsis can result from bacterial or viral infection and other instances where bacteria or viruses enter the body through something as minor as a scraped knee or nicked cuticle, WebMD mentioned.

Individuals with weak immune systems, those with HIV/AIDS or cancer, those with bone infections, very young babies, older adults with other health conditions, people hospitalized, those who had major surgeries, diabetic individuals are at a higher risk of developing sepsis compared to others. Some infections no longer react to antibiotics and such antibiotic-resistant infections can also lead to sepsis.

In severe cases of sepsis, it results in a body-wide infection that spreads through the bloodstream. In certain cases, the bloodstream infection cannot be detected and doctors use symptoms such as body temperature or mental status to diagnose sepsis.