WARNING SIGNS OF SEPSIS—GO TO A HOSPITAL IMMEDIATELY ! Many of the deaths from this flu come from sepsis. With all my reading over the years about health, I knew almost nothing about sepsis, which kills up to 500,000 people a year. The most important message of this article by Abbie Haglage on Yahoo Lifestyle is that sepsis, which is an overreaction of the immune system, can kill within a few hours. IF A LOVED ONE SHOWS SYMPTOMS OF SEPSIS, GET TO A HOSPITAL IMMEDIATELY.
Haglage quotes Philippe Bauer, MD, a pulmonologist and researcher at the Mayo Foundation: “From a clinical standpoint, the most obvious feature is that you don’t look right….The brain is involved very early, so you usually have some mental status change — you look confused, drowsy, dizzy. You may be unable to walk.” Next there is difficulty breathing, increased heart rate, and—SURPRISINGLY—PERHAPS DECREASED TEMPERATURE.
Immediate diagnosis of sepsis is crucial because—if caught early enough—sepsis can be treated through IV fluids and medicine.
Bauer says people who suspect a loved one may have sepsis shouldn’t think twice. “Sepsis is acute,” says Bauer. “Minutes count.”
MINUTES COUNT.
This is the kind of information that should be widely available. I don’t know why it isn’t.