2024-01-06 06:00:50
“Blood poisoning in Germany: Symptoms, risk factors and ways to recognize sepsis”
A person in Germany dies of blood poisoning around every six minutes. Nevertheless, the treacherous disease, known in technical language as sepsis, is usually underestimated and often recognized far too late.
It is a killer and often goes undetected: the bloodstream infection, as doctors also call it. It is the third most common cause of death, with 85,000 to 100,000 deaths per year! Survivors often have to contend with dramatic subsequent damage. What is particularly tragic is the fact that a large proportion of the deaths could have been avoided!
How does sepsis manage to kill so many victims? “It often goes undiagnosed or is recognized very late. “This is also because clinically it can be like a chameleon and manifest itself with a wide variety of symptoms,” says Dr. Tobias Weiglein, senior physician in the central emergency room at the Großhadern University Hospital.
Blood poisoning comes in different degrees of severity. Most of the time, the newly admitted patients do not yet have sepsis that has spread to the entire bloodstream, but rather a localized infection. “But certain secondary illnesses and risk factors such as diabetes mellitus, chronic lung disease or heart failure can mean that it quickly becomes very dangerous. And then a limited infection can develop into a bloodstream infection,” explains the doctor.
Blood poisoning is always caused by an infection with pathogens. It most often develops from an infection inside the body – for example pneumonia, intestinal inflammation or a urinary tract infection. But it can also arise from wounds or injuries.
If the immune system then overreacts significantly, this leads to fluid leakage into the tissue throughout the body and the formation of edema. This causes the patient to have problems with their blood pressure. This can, for example, drop dramatically as a result. As a result, the body is no longer supplied with enough oxygen. This then leads to the dreaded septic shock. If the vital organs are no longer sufficiently supplied with oxygen, they can be damaged – for example the brain, but also the liver and kidneys, the heart or the lungs.
The tragic case of former Labor and Social Affairs Minister Norbert Blüm clearly shows how dangerous sepsis is. In March 2020, he announced that he had fallen into a coma due to sepsis and was then paralyzed from the shoulders down. “Like a thief in the night, disaster broke into my life in the form of an insidious blood poisoning,” Blüm wrote in the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit” at the time. The 84-year-old died just a few weeks later.
It is important to note that this article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It in no way replaces a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, our editorial team cannot answer individual questions about medical conditions.]
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