WHAT IS SEPSIS?

Sepsis is a syndrome triggered by the immune system in overdrive. It can cause vital functions in the body to shut down, leading to death. It can be triggered by a bacterial, viral, parasitic or fungal infection after trauma, surgery, burns or severe illness.

Symptoms of sepsis

* fever, shaking, chills
* difficulty breathing
* warm skin or spotting, sometimes associated with a skin rash
* rapid heart beat
* mental confusion
* either very high or very low white blood cell count

A growing problem

Sepsis incidents have more than tripled in the United States over the past 20 years, according to researchers at Emory University School of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number increased from about 164,000 cases in 1979 to nearly 660,000 in 2002. Sepsis is often fatal, killing 20 to 50 percent of severely affected patients. The researchers do not know why sepsis is on the rise, but say reasons could include increased resistance to antibiotics, an increase in invasive medical procedures, transplants, chemotherapy and immunosuppressive drugs.

Sources: American Sepsis Alliance; Society of Critical Care Medicine; Dr. John Sinnott, Director of Infectious Diseases for the University of South Florida; Emory University; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Institutes of Health.