Sepsis

Sepsis is a very dangerous disease that occurs when an infection gets into a person's blood. People often use the word sepsis to describe septicemia (blood poisoning), but septicemia is only one type of sepsis.^[1][2]

Sepsis is a severe, life-threatening reaction to a viral, bacterial, fungal, or other infection. If bacteria infects the blood, the infection is called bacteremia (which can worsen into septicemia). A viral infection in the blood is called viremia, and a fungal infection that gets into the blood is called fungemia.

Most people who get infections do not develop sepsis. Normally a person's immune system can fight germs and overcome infections. But in sepsis something goes wrong. At some point, the pathogen gets into the person's blood or body tissues, and spreads the infection there.^[1]

Sepsis is a medical emergency which can cause death and requires immediate treatment.^[3]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "Sepsis". eMedicine Online Medical Dictionary. Archived from the original on 2008-04-24. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
2. ↑ "Septicemia". eMedicine Online Medical Dictionary. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. Retrieved 2007-06-30.
3. ↑ "Sepsis". NHS. 23 October 2017.