The Obvious Risk Factors & Causes Of Sepsis
Sepsis is a huge, huge emergency. Men, it's when your body responds in a weird way to infections! You're going to need your doc on this. Men, they've got to confirm your infection first. They'll check on your blood pressure too. That's going to have a top reading of lower than 100 mm Hg. Of course, they've got to check on your respiration rate too. With sepsis, it's going to be 22 breaths a minute or more!
Men, you need sepsis treatment right away to stop septic shock. Many of you, so many, will get antibiotics for sepsis. The hospital gives IV fluids for sepsis too! Obviously, there are medications for sepsis as well, like vasopressors and pain meds. Men, supportive care for sepsis is a huge, huge part of it too! The best treatment for sepsis obviously starts with knowing what caused it.
Pneumonia
Pneumonia's a lung infection, men. Yes, it goes for the air sacs in your lungs! You're not going to like it. No one does. No one! It means these air sacs are going to be full of pus or fluid. Yes, you know what that means. It's going to be hard, so hard, for you to breathe deeply! Unfortunately, pneumonia can hit both lungs, not just one. It's also hard to spot, men, you know why. Your symptoms appear over a few days, not overnight! That said, you know what to watch for. Everyone does. Don't mess around when diarrhea, productive cough, fatigue, fever, sweating, chills, and nausea appear. Other huge, huge warning signs are when you've got chest pain that gets worse when you cough or breathe in, vomiting, and losing your appetite. Men, so many of you are going to be confused and have a low, low body temperature too. It happens to seniors and when you've got a bad immune system!
Any form of pneumonia puts you at a high, high risk of sepsis. Men, you know what causes this! Viruses and bacteria. The good news? Both have treatments! You'll get antibiotics when it's bacterial, and then rest, fluids, and fever meds when it's viral.
Bacteremia
Men, this one's huge. So huge! Bacteremia means you've got bacteria contaminating your blood. Nasty condition, so nasty. You get it from many, many things, men. It's from surgery, catheters being left in for way too long, and even some health conditions make this likely. And yes, you know bacteremia also means you're much more likely to get sepsis! Keep your guard up for the symptoms of bacteremia. You'll see things like fever, chills, confusion, weakness, and dizziness. And yes, don't forget about the skin redness and purple rash! The good news? The purple rash isn't as common. No, it's not! If you've got trouble breathing or can't pee much or only a little comes out? Men, you know you need the emergency room!
Your doc's got your back, obviously. They'll use blood and pee tests to find out what bacteria you've got. This helps them treat you! There's a lot to treat this one. If you've got a catheter? Yes, you'll get it taken out! Antibiotics are a huge, huge treatment too. So huge. Surgery for bacteremia happens too, and you'll need to change bandages a lot.
Kidney Infection
Yes, you saw this one coming, didn't you? Men, kidney infections are a huge risk factor for sepsis! They have many, many causes, like UTIs spreading to your kidneys, kidney surgery, using a catheter, and something blocking your urinary tract. There's good news, though. Men, women are at a higher risk of kidney infections than you. Win! You know the symptoms, obviously. Here's a refresher: painful peeing, cloudy pee, blood or pus in your pee, and lots of pain. That pain? It happens in your back, side, groin, and abdomen. You'll want to keep a sharp eye out for needing to pee a lot, fever, and chills.
Your doc's going to use urine and blood tests to help you out. These spot the bacteria and diagnose your kidney infection. You'll sometimes need imaging studies too, obviously. Once they know what's up, your doc can treat you with the best treatments. Yes, the best treatments! You'll get antibiotics, and when it's really, really bad, the hospital is here to save you! If you keep getting them? You're going to need more help, like checking for abnormalities in your urinary tract or another condition!
Digestive System Infection
Men, you had to know this was coming up. Yes, digestive system infections are more huge, huge risk factors for sepsis. They'll appear because of bacteria, viruses, even parasites! The ones most of you know about, obviously, are E. coli and Salmonella. Everyone knows about these. Yes, they all do! Most of the cases are from contaminated food or water. Yes, that happens a lot, a whole lot. You'll see symptoms like vomiting, nausea, weight loss, diarrhea, cramps, fever, and dehydration. Others are losing your appetite, aching muscles, and blood or mucus in your poo. It's not a fun ride, not at all. Men, you'll have these symptoms for 5 to 7 days most of the time. Hold your horses, though. They can last for 2 weeks too!
You're going to need help right away when you've got blood in your poo or you're vomiting blood, men. You'll need a fast appointment with your doc when your vomiting lasts longer than 48 hours. You need one when your fever hits over 104°F too. Some good news, though, is that you've got antibiotics, OTC meds, and high-fiber foods to help you out.
Weak Immune System
This one's obvious: a weak immune system means more infections and a much higher risk of sepsis. Yes, a much higher risk! Many, many things can make your immune system weak. Some of them? Autoimmune conditions like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, obviously. Others are diabetes and heart disease! Your doc's going to get blood tests to test your immune system. They've got to know your white blood cell count and levels of immunoglobulin! Yes. Essential info, of course.
Men, you know you need your condition treated. That's what brings your immune system back up strong again. Yes, it'll be strong again! And when it's weak? Wash your hands a lot and avoid anyone who is sick! Get lots and lots of sleep too.