THE septicemia, also called sepsis or sepsis, is a syndrome that occurs in patients with severe infections, characterized by a intense inflammatory state throughout the body, potentially fatal.
Sepsis is triggered by the invasion of the bloodstream by infectious agents (mainly bacteria, but also viruses or other microorganisms), so it is usually called by the lay public "blood infection", but can continue even after the infectious agents that the caused are no longer present.
Whenever our body is invaded by microorganisms, our immune system is activated so that we can combat the invading agent. One of the forms used by our defense cells to attack invading agents is through the release of chemical mediators that elicit an inflammatory response.
The inflammation that arises in infected sites is not caused by the bacteria itself, but by the body's immune response. Inflammation is a form of defense of the body. Redness, pain, heat, swelling, and pus, characteristic of infected wounds, are roughly the result of the "battle" between the immune system and the invading germs.
In general, infections start at specific sites in the body, such as the skin, lungs, urinary tract, ears. Some examples of bacterial infections located at a specific point in the body are:
- Pneumonia = lung infection;
- Cystitis = bladder infection;
- Otitis = ear infection;
- Erysipelas = skin infection;
- Meningitis = infection of the meninges and the nervous system.
At first, bacteria are housed in an organ, such as the lung, for example, and are fought by our defense mechanisms. Without infection control, these bacteria multiply and begin to migrate in large numbers to other sites, reaching a vessel and reaching the bloodstream.
Bacteria can fall into the blood in trivial situations, such as during a toothbrushing that causes gum bleeding or when we graze the knee on the floor. A small amount of bacteria in the blood are quickly inactivated and controlled by the immune system.
The problem appears when a very large amount of bacteria reaches the bloodstream, spreading through the body. Since the defense cells need to act in several places at the same time to fight the infection, they end up triggering a diffuse inflammatory process.
We have all had an inflammation either in the tooth, in the skin or anywhere else in the body. This process happening internally and simultaneously in various blood vessels and organs is like a war being waged within the body. There are deaths on both sides and much destruction of the surrounding structures. This is sepsis.
There are degrees of severity of sepsis. Certain bacteria are more virulent than others and each organism has a greater or lesser capacity to act against invading agents, causing a more or less marked inflammation. Healthy patients with infections caused by less aggressive bacteria usually control their infections well and do not progress to more severe sepsis.
Symptoms of sepsis
Any infection can lead to sepsis. Many people have probably had an early sepsis. In order to characterize a sepsis it is sufficient to present an infection, besides two or more of the signs or symptoms described below (the four most classic of a long list, described at https://pulmccm.org/2012/review-articles/surviving-sepsis-guidelines-criteria-diagnosis-sepsis/):
- Fever (body temperature greater than 38.3º) or hypothermia (less than 36º);
- Tachycardia (heart rate greater than 90 beats per minute);
- Respiratory rate greater than 20 incursions per minute or PaCO2 <32mmHg;
- On the hemogram: leukocytosis (leukocytes above 12,000 / mm3) or leukopenia (less than 4000 leukocytes / mm3).
Learn more at: Is Blood Infection Serious? What are the symptoms and how to treat them?
In fact, even a stronger flu can cause the patient to present criteria for sepsis. Having criteria for sepsis does not mean that the patient is very serious and that they are going to die. These criteria indicate that the patient should be treated properly so that the condition does not evolve and are warning signs for physicians.
You may have a sore throat and have criteria for sepsis. However, if the infection is treated properly, most people will recover. However, if the patient is negligent and does not seek medical attention, the infection, which was initially restricted to the throat, can spread through the blood and become much more difficult to control. A mild sepsis can lead to severe sepsis.
A very characteristic clinical picture of sepsis is the presence of infection with high fever, chills, tiredness, prostration, loss of appetite, not being able to get out of bed.
Elderly people with sepsis may not have a fever, but they usually present with great prostration, disorientation and mental confusion. Medical evaluation and antibiotic treatment are important to prevent the condition from developing catastrophically.
