• Careers
  • Education
  • Research
  • Giving
Ochsner Health Ochsner Health
  • About
  • Find A Doctor (current)
  • Find A Location
  • Specialties & Treatments
MyOchsner Logo
Login | Signup
Submit Search
Close Search
  •   Home
  • In To Your Health...
  • Food & Fitness
  • Conditions & Treatment
  • Health Trends
  • Prevention & Wellness
  • Women's Health
  • Men's Health
  • Mental Health
  • Parenting
  • I need to...
  • Find A Doctor
  • Find A Location
  • Find A Specialty
  • Schedule An Appointment
  • Pay A Bill
  • Explore
  • About Ochsner
  • Careers
  • Patients & Visitors
  • "To Your Health" Blog
  • Health Resources
  • Medical Professionals
  • Education
  • Philanthropy
  • Community Outreach
  • Research
  • Ochsner Health Network
  • Schedule an Appointment
  • Call: 1-866-624-7637
  • Online: Login to MyOchsner
  • Personalize your content
  • patient Edit Persona Persona Chooser
To Your Health

View Newsletter Editions
  • Food & Fitness
  • Conditions & Treatment
  • Health Trends
  • Prevention & Wellness
  • Women's Health
  • Men's Health
  • Mental Health
  • Parenting
Woman talking to doctor

What Are Symptoms of Sepsis?

Sep 10, 2020 |
By Abdul M. Khan, MD and Sandra A. Kemmerly, MD
Share Facebook Logo Twitter Logo Pinterest Logo Email Logo

September is Sepsis Awareness Month, and we at Ochsner Health recognize the impact of this condition on the communities we serve. Sepsis is very common, and by the time you read these two sentences, someone in the world has died due to the condition.

Sepsis primarily occurs when the body overreacts to a severe infection. Normally, this kind of reaction protects a person by beginning the healing process. However, when a patient is septic, the immune system kicks into overdrive and causes harm by damaging organ function.

There are many ways to become septic, including exposure to dangerous bacteria or waiting too long to seek medical care for other infections, such as pneumonia. Genetic differences may also influence your risk, as well being very young or elderly. People with chronic conditions or weakened immune systems may also be at increased risk.

Healthcare providers often think of sepsis as a chameleon of diseases because its symptoms can vary greatly, mimicking other illnesses. This makes early identification of sepsis critical for a patient’s successful recovery.

Factors like early blood tests, fluids and antibiotics are important. In fact, even government groups like the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services recognize how important it is that patients receive care quickly, and have “sepsis care bundles,” which include treatment steps that must be started within three-six hours after a suspected diagnosis.

If sepsis is recognized and treated early, the chances of recovery are much higher. For every hour that antibiotics are not given, the risk of dying increases by 8%. For each organ that fails as a result of sepsis, the risk of dying increases by 20%. Broadly, there are a few categories of severity, ranging from early sepsis to septic shock. The average mortality rate for sepsis is approximately 10% but increases to approximately 40% for septic shock. These are the symptoms that you should watch for, by age group:

Sepsis symptoms in children under 5 years of age:

  • looks mottled, bluish or pale
  • is very lethargic or difficult to wake
  • feels abnormally cold to touch
  • is breathing very fast
  • has a rash that does not fade when you press it
  • has a fit or convulsion

Temperature

  • temperature over 100.4 degrees in babies under 3 months
  • temperature over 102.2 degrees in babies aged 3-6 months
  • any high temperature in a child who cannot be encouraged to show interest in anything
  • low temperature (below 96.8 degrees – check three times in a 10-minute period)

Breathing

  • finding it much harder to breathe than normal – looks like hard work
  • making "grunting" noises with every breath
  • can't say more than a few words at once (for older children who normally talk)
  • breathing that obviously "pauses"

Toilet/diapers

  • has not urinated or had a wet diaper for 12 hours

Eating and drinking

  • new baby under 1 month old with no interest in feeding
  • not drinking for more than eight hours (when awake)
  • bile-stained (green), bloody or black vomit

Activity and body

  • soft spot on a baby's head is bulging
  • eyes look "sunken"
  • child cannot be encouraged to show interest in anything
  • baby is floppy
  • weak, "whining" or continuous crying in a younger child
  • older child who's confused
  • not responding or very irritable
  • stiff neck, especially when trying to look up and down

Symptoms of sepsis in older children or adults:

Early symptoms of sepsis may include:

  • a high temperature (fever) or low body temperature
  • chills and shivering
  • a fast heartbeat
  • fast breathing

In some cases, symptoms of more severe sepsis or septic shock (when your blood pressure drops to a dangerously low level) develop soon after.

These can include:

  • feeling dizzy or faint
  • a change in mental state – such as confusion or disorientation
  • diarrhea
  • nausea and vomiting
  • slurred speech
  • severe muscle pain
  • severe breathlessness
  • less urine production than normal – for example, not urinating for a day
  • cold, clammy, and pale or mottled skin
  • loss of consciousness

If you suspect sepsis, please tell your care team about your symptoms. Although the word “sepsis” is over 3,000 years old, we are still learning every day how to better serve our patients with this diagnosis. We at Ochsner Health take this condition very seriously, and we want our patients to do the same.

Find an Ochsner urgent care near you.

Tags
sepsis
bacteria

You may also be interested in:

Spraying Bug Repellant
Health Trends
Jul 23, 2018

How to Protect Your Skin and Prevent Infection

Take these preventative steps to lower the risk of bug bites. Also, learn how to treat cuts and scrapes to avoid infection.
By Jefferson G. Bohan, PharmD, BCPS
Gettyimages 669121480
Prevention & Wellness
Nov 13, 2018

Everything You Need to Know About Antibiotics

Four members of Ochsner's Antimicrobial Stewardship Program weigh in about antibiotic usage as well as what patients need to know about these medications.
By Katherine Baumgarten, MD

Comments about the blog? Send us an email!

Ochsner Health Ochsner Health

Schedule An Appointment: 1-866-624-7637

Follow us: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram YouTube Pinterest

Healthy living tips, delivered weekly to your inbox.

Patients & Visitors

  • Billing & Financial Services
  • Insurance Information
  • International Patients
  • Request Medical Records
  • Share Your Story
  • Read Patient Stories

Medical Professionals

  • Transfer a Patient
  • Refer a Patient

Health Resources

  • To Your Health Blog
  • Golden Opportunity
  • Hello Health Seminars
  • Ochsner Magazine

Job Seekers

  • Career Paths
  • Benefits
  • Open Positions

Employees

  • Webmail
  • OHSLink
  • Workday

Employers

  • Corporate Wellness
  • Medicare Advantage Plans

Community Outreach

  • Classes & Events
  • Programs
  • Community Health Needs Assessment
  • Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Sciences Academy

Education

  • Graduate Medical Education
  • Clinical Medical Education
  • Continuing Medical Education
  • Medical Library
  • Publishing Services
  • Medical Illustrations

Research

  • Clinical Trials
  • Applied Health Services Research
  • Clinical Research & Trials
  • Nursing Research
  • Translational Research

Giving

  • Donate
  • Volunteer

About Ochsner

  • Mission & Vision
  • History
  • Annual Report
  • Outcomes & Honors
  • News & Media
  • Alumni
  • Ochsner Health Network
  • Contact Us

Shop

  • O Bar
  • Optical Shop
  • Ochsner Fitness Center
  • Brent House Hotel

© Ochsner Health  | Notice of Privacy Practices | Terms of Use | Vendor Information

Ochsner accepts all major insurances.

Ochsner is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, founded on providing the best patient care, research, and education.

We are one of the country’s largest non-university based academic medical centers.

Ochsner is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Community Needs Health Assessment

EpicMobile Tablet | EpicMobile Phone

Healthy Living Tips, Delivered Right To Your Inbox

* indicates required


Must Reads
Food and Fitness
Men’s Health
Parenting
Women’s Health

Source:
Source Description:
Marketing Goal:


Get Weekly Health Tips

Select the weekly newsletters you'd like to receive.

Please select at least one category to continue.

Curious about our newsletters?

View details for each edition

Let us know where to send your weekly newsletters.

To Your Health- Food and Fitness:
To Your Health- General:
To Your Health- Men’s Health:
To Your Health- Parenting:
To Your Health- Women’s Health:

Source:
Source Description:
Marketing Goal:

You're all set!

We’ll send newsletters full of healthy living tips right to your inbox every week.

Ochsner Health System
ESC to Close

Begin Typing to Search

Select the drop-down to filter Search by Blog Articles or Sitewide