Sepsis: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment & Prevention

 

Your immune system harm healthy tissues and organs in sepsis, a potentially fatal response to an infection. Without immediate medical attention, it can progress swiftly and result in organ failure or even death. Your life may be saved if you identify the signs and seek medical help as soon as possible.

Sepsis is a serious condition where the body responds improperly to an infection, turning on the body's defense mechanisms and impairing organ function. Sepsis can develop into septic shock, a sharp drop in blood pressure that can harm the liver, kidneys, lungs, and other organs; if the damage is severe, it can be deadly.

What is Sepsis?

Find out what sepsis is and why immediate treatment is important.
Your body's extreme reaction to an infection is called sepsis. It occurs when an infection you already have sets off a dangerous chain reaction that spreads throughout your entire body.

Your immune system often attempts to combat an illness. However, your immune system can overreact at times. By accident, it begins to harm healthy tissues and organs. Your body may become severely inflamed as a result.

Sepsis is a medical emergency that can be life threatening. It can cause tissue damage, multiple organ failure, and even death if treatment is delayed.

Symptoms of sepsis

Numerous body parts can be impacted by sepsis. Thus, there are many possible symptoms. You might have a sepsis rash if your condition was brought on by a bloodstream infection (bacteremia). Your skin appears red or discolored due to the outbreak. Your skin may have tiny, dark-red spots.

Other typical indicators of sepsis consist of:

• Reduced urination or intense desires to urinate

• Weakness and low vitality

• Rapid heartbeat

• Low blood pressure

• Extremely low body temperature or fever

• Chills or shaking

• Warm, clammy, or sweating skin

• Confusion

• Breathing quickly or having trouble breathing

• Severe discomfort or pain

What causes sepsis?

Sepsis is most frequently caused by bacterial infections. Other possible causes of sepsis include viral, parasite, and fungal diseases. When an infection triggers a series of events in your body that result in failure of an organ, you may develop sepsis.

Sepsis-causing infections can originate in a variety of body parts. Sepsis can result from common infection sites and types, such as:

• Respiratory system: Lung infections, such as pneumonia

• The urinary tract system kidney or bladder infections, particularly if you have a catheter

• Gastrointestinal system: Infections affecting the liver, gallbladder, abdominal cavity (peritonitis), or appendix (appendicitis)

• Central nervous system: Brain or spinal cord infections

• Skin: Infections such as cellulitis that affect your skin or the connective tissue that surrounds it

Risk factor:

Anyone can develop sepsis. However, you are more likely to get it if you:

• Are you at least 65 years old?

• Are pregnant?

• Possess certain health issues, such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, or kidney disease

• Possess a weakened immune system

• Have additional medical reasons for being in the hospital.

• Have serious injuries or burns, for example.

• Possess breathing tubes, IVs, or catheters

• Infants and newborns are another group at risk.

Complications:

Vital organs including the heart, brain, and kidneys don't receive enough blood as sepsis gets worse. Atypical blood clotting may result from sepsis. Tissues may be damaged or destroyed by the ensuing tiny clots or burst blood vessels.

While most patients recover from mild sepsis, 30% to 40% of patients die from septic shock. Additionally, a severe sepsis episode raises the risk of subsequent infections.

Diagnosis:

Sepsis criteria

If you have an infection or bacteremia, a healthcare provider may quickly assess your risk of developing sepsis and dying from it. Providers use various sets of sepsis criteria to figure out your risk of death and how urgently you need treatment.

Some healthcare organizations use alert systems or artificial intelligence (AI) to find sepsis symptoms hours before traditional tests.

After the provider assesses your risk, they may confirm a sepsis diagnosis using a combination of findings. They’ll perform a physical exam and evaluate your symptoms. Then, they’ll order tests to identify the infection and any organ damage or dysfunction. These tests may include:

• Blood test

• Imaging test

•  Urine test

Treatment:

How is sepsis treated?

Treatment for sepsis must begin right away. Your doctor may refer you to the hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) for specialized care if they determine that you have the condition.


Treatments for sepsis may consist of:

• Antibiotics: If you have a bacterial infection, you will be prescribed antibiotics.

• IV (intravenous) fluids: To keep your organs' blood flowing, you'll need fluids. Additionally, the fluids will help keep your blood pressure from falling too low.

• Vasopressors: Drugs that tighten blood vessels are known as vasopressors. They could be necessary in some situations to help you get your blood pressure back to normal.

• Supportive care: You will require additional sepsis therapies if organ failure takes place. This could involve mechanical ventilation for respiratory failure or dialysis for kidney failure.

• Surgery: To remove damaged tissue, you might require surgery.

Prevention:

You can take the following actions to help prevent sepsis:

• Maintaining proper hygiene, which includes washing your hands

• Cleaning and covering cuts and other wounds until they heal

• Receiving regular medical attention for chronic conditions

• Getting medical help right away if you suspect an infection

References:

• Long B, Gottlieb M. Emergency medicine updates: Management of sepsis and septic shock (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39904062/). Am J Emerg Med. 2025 Apr;90:179-191. Accessed 2/17/2026.

• World Health Organization. Sepsis (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sepsis). Last updated 5/3/2024. Accessed 2/17/2026.

• Long B, Gottlieb M. Emergency medicine updates: Evaluation and diagnosis of sepsis and septic shock (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39892181/). Am J Emerg Med. 2025 Apr;90:169-178. Accessed 2/17/2026.

• Neviere R. Sepsis syndromes in adults: Epidemiology, definitions, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and prognosis. https//www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Nov. 19, 2022.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.). Sepsis (https://www.cdc.gov/sepsis/index.html). Accessed 2/17/2026.

• How can I get ahead of sepsis? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/sepsis/prevention/index.html. Accessed December 10, 2022.

• Temesgen Z, et al., eds. Sepsis. In: A Rational Approach to Clinical Infectious Diseases: A Manual for House Officers and Other Non-Infectious Diseases Clinicians. Elsevier; 2022. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Nov. 19, 2022.

• Merck Manual Consumer Version. Sepsis and Septic Shock (https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/infections/bacteremia-sepsis-and-septic-shock/sepsis-and-septic-shock). Last modified 10/2025. Accessed 2/17/2026.