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Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused by the immune response of an organism to severe infection. Sepsis is characterized by overwhelming systemic (i.e. not localised) inflammation and is often associated with coagulation disorders and dysfunction of the circulatory system. Even under optimal treatment, organ dysfunction may progress to multiple organ failure and eventually death.
Sepsis is particulary common and dangerous in elderly, immunocompromised, and critically ill patients, where it is a major cause of death in intensive care units worldwide. In the United States, sepsis is the leading cause of death in non-coronary ICU patients, while recent 1998 data from the Centers for Disease Control show that it is the 11th leading cause of death overall. Mortality rates ranging from 28 to 50% have been reported for sepsis.
Related conditions
- Septicemia is the presence of bacteria in the bloodstream. Septicemia can occur in sepsis and other serious diseases such as infective endocarditis, but it may also be a harmless and transient condition.
- SIRS (Systemic inflammatory response syndrome) is associated with a variety of causes such as severe trauma, burns, or shock. SIRS is clinically indistinguishable from sepsis, but a causating infection is by definition not involved.