Septic Shock

What is Septic Shock?

Septic shock might sound deceptive and not that serious, but it can be a life-threatening condition. But before you figure how to deal with septic shock, let us understand what septic shock is.

Septic shock is the body going into shock as a reaction to an infection which has worsened. Septic shock can be a life-threatening emergency. The body is unable to effectively function due to increased sepsis and severe infection. Septic shock can occur in one part of the body or affect the body all over. Septic shock can even cause multiple organ failure or, in a really dire situation, even death.

The most common victims of septic shock are people who have compromised immune systems as their bodies are not able to fight infection in the same fashion as healthy people. Children and elderly are often the ones to succumb to septic shock.

Septic shock is also known by different names. Some of its other names are:

Bacteremic shock
Endotoxic shock
Warm shock
Septicemic shock

There are more than 20 million cases annually across the globe with the death rate as high as 70 per cent. Care centers and retirement communities have a much higher rate of these infections. Another reason why infections and the resultant septic shock cases are on the increase is the increase of embedded devices used for monitoring health in the elderly.

When septic shock cases started to get medical attention, most of them were largely causes by gram-negative bacilli. Now 35 per cent of the septic shock cases stem from urinary tract infections, 15 per cent are from catheters, another 15 per cent from respiratory tract infections and 30 per cent of the infection are from unknown causes.

There are different treatments and aid that can be given but before that you have to figure out what can cause septic shock and what are the risk factors.

Treatments

Causes