Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsSeptic ShockCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPreventionFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Septic Shock
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Frequently Asked Questions
Contrary to its name, blood poisoning does not involve poison. It refers to bacteria in the blood related to an infection. This bacteria is known asbacteremia. It does not always result in an infection, but when it does, it can be life-threatening.
Blood poisoning is not a medical term, but can refer tosepticemiaorsepsis. Septicemia is a bacterial infection in the blood. Sepsis is the body-wide inflammatory response to that infection, which can lead toorgan failureor death.
Focusing on sepsis, this article discusses blood poisoning symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.
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Symptoms of sepsis include the following:
Signs of infection elsewhere in the body may be present. These include:
Symptoms of Sepsis in the Elderly
Warning Signs
Septic shockis a condition in which sepsis becomes very severe and causes low blood pressure. It is a medical emergency and typically requires treatment in an intensive care unit.
Signs of severe sepsis and septic shock include the following:
Other signs include abnormal laboratory counts:
Causes and Risk Factors
The most common infections that can lead to sepsis include:
The following may put a person at a higher risk of developing sepsis and poorer outcomes:
How Is Blood Poisoning Diagnosed?
Blood poisoning can refer to either bacteremia or sepsis, and each of these has specific criteria for diagnosis.
Bacteremia
Bacteremia is diagnosed with blood cultures. Blood cultures are a laboratory test used to diagnose bacteria in the blood.
Sepsis
Sepsis diagnosis has changed over the years.
Special clinical scores such as the SOFA score or the qSOFA score can be used to determine organ dysfunction.These take into account physical examination findings and lab results including respiratory rate, oxygen levels, blood pressure, level of confusion, and kidney function.
How Is Sepsis Treated?
Treatment of bacteremia and sepsis involve treating the infection itself and providing supportive care.
Infection Treatment
Strongantibioticsare prescribed for sepsis in order to broadly cover potential bacteria. Once the laboratory has determined which antibiotics will be effective (called susceptibility testing), antibiotics can be narrowed to specifically target the bacteria.
Antibiotics may be required for up to a few weeks depending on the infection.
Sometimes, definitive treatment of the infection can require procedures or surgery. For example:
Supportive Care
Supportive care is essential in treating sepsis. Depending on the severity and needs, care may be provided in the intensive care unit with close monitoring.
Supportive care involves:
How Can I Prevent Blood Poisoning?
Early treatment of infection offers the best way to prevent sepsis from occurring, and early treatment of sepsis offers the best chances of recovery. People who are at higher risk of sepsis should pay close attention to any signs of infection.
Keeping chronic conditions likediabetesunder control can also help prevent or reduce the severity of infections. Keeping vaccinations up to date is an important step to preventing certain viral and bacterial infections.
In addition, hygienic measures such as hand washing and preparing and handling food properly can help prevent infection.
Summary
Blood poisoning is a non-medical term used to describe an infection in the bloodstream, or sepsis. Sepsis is a medical emergency that requires hospitalization for treatment of infection.
Sepsis can result from lung, skin, gastrointestinal, or urological infections. It is more likely to occur in immunocompromised people, people with chronic health conditions, children under age 1, or adults age 65 and older.
Symptoms of sepsis include fever, chills, sweating, increased heart rate, shortness of breath, and confusion. Early treatment offers the best chances of recovery.
A Word From Verywell
If you think you have an infection, it’s important to have it evaluated and treated promptly so that it doesn’t spread or lead to sepsis. Some people are at higher risk of infection or may have a harder time fighting off infections. Early and fast treatment is essential, so seek medical attention right away if you experience symptoms.
Frequently Asked QuestionsBlood poisoning refers to sepsis, a condition in which an infection leads to a life-threatening inflammatory response. Symptoms include fever, high heart rate, low blood pressure, and confusion. Depending on the source of infection, diarrhea, cough, urinary symptoms, or skin infection may be present.Common causes of blood poisoning includeStaphylococcus,Streptococcus,Escherichiacoli, andPneumococcal.Drug-resistant organisms that are resistant to certain antibiotics, such asMethicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) and Vancomycin-resistantEnterococci,can also cause sepsis.
Blood poisoning refers to sepsis, a condition in which an infection leads to a life-threatening inflammatory response. Symptoms include fever, high heart rate, low blood pressure, and confusion. Depending on the source of infection, diarrhea, cough, urinary symptoms, or skin infection may be present.
Common causes of blood poisoning includeStaphylococcus,Streptococcus,Escherichiacoli, andPneumococcal.Drug-resistant organisms that are resistant to certain antibiotics, such asMethicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) and Vancomycin-resistantEnterococci,can also cause sepsis.
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About sepsis.Juneja D.Severe sepsis and septic shock in the elderly: an overview.WJCCM. 2012;1(1):23. doi:10.5492/wjccm.v1.i1.23Clifford KM, Dy-Boarman EA, Haase KK, Maxvill K, Pass SE, Alvarez CA.Challenges with diagnosing and managing sepsis in older adults.Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy. 2016;14(2):231-241. doi:10.1586/14787210.2016.1135052Rello J, Valenzuela-Sánchez F, Ruiz-Rodriguez M, Moyano S.Sepsis: a review of advances in management.Adv Ther. 2017;34(11):2393-2411. doi:10.1007/s12325-017-0622-8Johns Hopkins Medicine.Septicemia.Singer M, Deutschman CS, Seymour CW, et al.The third international consensus definitions for sepsis and septic shock (Sepsis-3).JAMA.2016;315(8):801–810. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.0287Gyawali B, Ramakrishna K, Dhamoon AS.Sepsis: the evolution in definition, pathophysiology, and management.SAGE Open Medicine. 2019;7:205031211983504. doi:10.1177/2050312119835043
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About sepsis.Juneja D.Severe sepsis and septic shock in the elderly: an overview.WJCCM. 2012;1(1):23. doi:10.5492/wjccm.v1.i1.23Clifford KM, Dy-Boarman EA, Haase KK, Maxvill K, Pass SE, Alvarez CA.Challenges with diagnosing and managing sepsis in older adults.Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy. 2016;14(2):231-241. doi:10.1586/14787210.2016.1135052Rello J, Valenzuela-Sánchez F, Ruiz-Rodriguez M, Moyano S.Sepsis: a review of advances in management.Adv Ther. 2017;34(11):2393-2411. doi:10.1007/s12325-017-0622-8Johns Hopkins Medicine.Septicemia.Singer M, Deutschman CS, Seymour CW, et al.The third international consensus definitions for sepsis and septic shock (Sepsis-3).JAMA.2016;315(8):801–810. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.0287Gyawali B, Ramakrishna K, Dhamoon AS.Sepsis: the evolution in definition, pathophysiology, and management.SAGE Open Medicine. 2019;7:205031211983504. doi:10.1177/2050312119835043
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About sepsis.Juneja D.Severe sepsis and septic shock in the elderly: an overview.WJCCM. 2012;1(1):23. doi:10.5492/wjccm.v1.i1.23Clifford KM, Dy-Boarman EA, Haase KK, Maxvill K, Pass SE, Alvarez CA.Challenges with diagnosing and managing sepsis in older adults.Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy. 2016;14(2):231-241. doi:10.1586/14787210.2016.1135052Rello J, Valenzuela-Sánchez F, Ruiz-Rodriguez M, Moyano S.Sepsis: a review of advances in management.Adv Ther. 2017;34(11):2393-2411. doi:10.1007/s12325-017-0622-8Johns Hopkins Medicine.Septicemia.Singer M, Deutschman CS, Seymour CW, et al.The third international consensus definitions for sepsis and septic shock (Sepsis-3).JAMA.2016;315(8):801–810. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.0287Gyawali B, Ramakrishna K, Dhamoon AS.Sepsis: the evolution in definition, pathophysiology, and management.SAGE Open Medicine. 2019;7:205031211983504. doi:10.1177/2050312119835043
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About sepsis.
Juneja D.Severe sepsis and septic shock in the elderly: an overview.WJCCM. 2012;1(1):23. doi:10.5492/wjccm.v1.i1.23
Clifford KM, Dy-Boarman EA, Haase KK, Maxvill K, Pass SE, Alvarez CA.Challenges with diagnosing and managing sepsis in older adults.Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy. 2016;14(2):231-241. doi:10.1586/14787210.2016.1135052
Rello J, Valenzuela-Sánchez F, Ruiz-Rodriguez M, Moyano S.Sepsis: a review of advances in management.Adv Ther. 2017;34(11):2393-2411. doi:10.1007/s12325-017-0622-8
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Septicemia.
Singer M, Deutschman CS, Seymour CW, et al.The third international consensus definitions for sepsis and septic shock (Sepsis-3).JAMA.2016;315(8):801–810. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.0287
Gyawali B, Ramakrishna K, Dhamoon AS.Sepsis: the evolution in definition, pathophysiology, and management.SAGE Open Medicine. 2019;7:205031211983504. doi:10.1177/2050312119835043
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