What are the symptoms of sepsis?
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In the beginning stages of sepsis, you may have an unusually high or low temperature. Accompanying the fever, you could experience chills. Usually a person with sepsis will have an increased heart and breathing rate, due to the lack of oxygen to the organs from the inflammation. In later, more severe, stages of sepsis, you can experience changes in your mental behavior, such as confusion and disorientation. It is also common to see problems with different organs, such as your lungs or heart. Sepsis is most life-threatening when it progresses to septic shock, a condition where your blood pressure drops and your heart becomes weak.
In the beginning stages of sepsis, you may have an unusually high or low temperature. Accompanying the fever, you could experience chills. Usually a person with sepsis will have an increased heart and breathing rate, due to the lack of oxygen to the... More -
Dr. Leigh Vinocur answered:Early sepsis must have at least two of the following abnormal vital signs or symptoms:
- Fever over 101.3°F (38.5°C) or below 95°F
- Heart rate over 90 beats/minute
- Respiratory rate over 20 breaths/minute
- A confirmed or probable infection
- Mottled skin
- Decreased urine output
- Change in mental awareness or alertness
- Decreased platelet counts (which are particles in the blood that promote clotting)
- Difficulty breathing which usually requires being put on a ventilator
- Abnormal heart function usually leading to circulatory collapse and shock
Early sepsis must have at least two of the following abnormal vital signs or symptoms: Fever over 101.3°F (38.5°C) or below 95°F Heart rate over 90 beats/minute Respiratory rate over 20 breaths/minute A confirmed or probable infection... More
