Home Immune systemInfectious diseases What is septicemia and how is it cured?

What is septicemia and how is it cured?

by Alivia Nyhan
Published: Last Updated on
WHAT-IS-SEPTICEMIA-AND-HOW-IS-IT-CURED

Did you know that there is a disease that kills more people each year than breast and prostate cancer combined and very few people know about it? Did you know that each year more than 20 million people die from septicemia? This disease, also called the silent killer, is life threatening and very dangerous, despite this, few people know what septicemia is.

In the following FastlyHealarticle we will explain everything you need to know about this condition, the definition of septicemia, its symptoms, causes and treatment so that you can prevent it. Read on and learn what septicemia is .

Septicemia: definition and what it is

Septicemia, also called sepsis or blood poisoning, is the leading cause of death from infection worldwide. It is a response of the body itself to fight a life-threatening infection.

Septicemia: consequences

Sepsis is a potentially lethal infection that appears as a response of the immune system to fight an infection in an organ or tissue. Without proper treatment, septicemia causes septic shock and multorganic failure that can lead to death. It is not surprising that it is the deadliest infection condition, despite all the advances it is hospital care, antibiotic medicine and vaccination.

Symptoms of septicemia in the elderly and adults

The importance of knowing the symptoms of septicemia is given by the fact that 80% of patients diagnosed in the first stage have a favorable development. Fatal cases, when septicemia has already progressed to its most severe stages, could be avoided by being diagnosed quickly and given adequate treatment.

Septicemia is also called a silent killer, as it can show up with multiple faces and manifest itself in different ways. But generally, the first symptoms can easily be mistaken for the influenza virus, the cause of the flu, or other minor infections:

  • High fever
  • High heart rate
  • Shaking chills
  • Accelerated breathing

If we add to this the fact that, as a general rule, doctors do not want to prescribe antibiotics for viral flu, septicemia can reach more lethal and severe phases. In these cases, we are already beginning to observe a worsening of the general condition, with much more worrisome symptoms . Here we explain the most common:

  • Confusion and difficulties in speech.
  • Muscle pain and more chills.
  • No urine
  • Great breathing difficulties
  • Feeling of near death
  • Spots on the skin and ecchymosis.

Taking into account what we have exposed, it is essential not to wait for the most severe symptoms to appear but, once the first ones appear, you go to the doctor for an accurate diagnosis.

Septicemia: causes

Sepsis occurs when large amounts of bacteria or germs pass into the body through the bloodstream. Its origin may be due to different conditions, so that three types of septicemia are distinguished:

  • The most common septicemia is venous in origin , which has its onset in a local infection; be it a urinary infection, a poorly healed wound or pneumonia, from here on this infection passes into the bloodstream, compromising the whole body and causing a reaction of the organism en bloc.
  • Lymphatic sepsis is caused by an infection in a lymph node. This infection spreads to the rest of the body with lymph, as happens in people with typhoid fever.
  • Finally, septicemia of cardiac origin can appear after an infection in the heart valves, which is medically called infective endocarditis.

Septicemia: treatment

That of septicemia, when treated early in its first symptoms, is a fairly simple treatment that can save your life. However, due to the risk of complications and their severity, hospitalization is required .

At an early stage, the administration of a combination of antibiotics by intravenous tube is sufficient . However, once septicemia has progressed to more serious stages, it needs intensive cures that can last over time.

In some cases there may be an elimination of the source of infection by surgical intervention , but when the cause of infectious shock cannot be eliminated, other methods are required.

The intravenous profusion of antibiotics is the basic tool to be able to combat sepsis. High doses of antibiotics directly into the bloodstream for two weeks and tube feeding is all that can be done. In cases of endocarditis, this treatment can last up to two months, although at this point, the mortality rates can be higher than 50%.

This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to What is septicemia and how is it cured , we recommend that you enter our Immune System category .

You may also like

Leave a Comment