5. The Signs of Severe Sepsis
As mentioned, the hope is to diagnose sepsis in the first and mildest stage. In severe sepsis, a vital organ risks going into failure. This is why doctors only need to identify one symptom of organ failure to confirm a diagnosis of severe sepsis.
Symptoms of severe sepsis can include difficulty breathing, severe abdominal pain, decreased urination, irregular or abnormal heart function, abnormal mental behavior, and low platelet count. Although the MRSA Network says the recovery rate is about 50-percent, suffering from severe sepsis can make a patient prone to an increased risk of infections in the future.
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6. Symptoms of Septic Shock
If a patient progresses to the third and final stage of severe sepsis, they can display any of the above symptoms of severe sepsis—including increased or abnormal heart rate, increased breathing rate, high fever, abdominal pain, impacted mental state, and low platelet count.
However, a patient in septic shock will also display extremely decreased blood pressure and be unable to respond to fluid replacement. According to the MRSA Survivors Network early detection is vital, as 50-percent of all patients die from septic shock.
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7. Complications from Sepsis
Sepsis is a progressive syndrome that starts mild, leads to severe sepsis, and then septic shock. This means that worsening sepsis can cause blood clots to form, severely restricting blood flow to your vital organs—including your lungs, kidneys, heart, and brain—and causing organ failure.
Blood clots that develop in the organs will also restrict healthy blood flow to bodily tissues, particularly the extremities (i.e., fingers, toes, arms, and legs), resulting in gangrene (tissue death).
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Catherine Roberts
Catherine is our go-to writer for women’s health news, diet trends and more. She’s dedicated to providing Activebeat readers with the information they need to maintain a healthy lifestyle every day.