Sepsis 101

September is Sepsis Awareness Month.Many people first hear about sepsis when someone they know is diagnosed with it or it’s mentioned on a medical TV drama. But hearing the word and knowing what it means are two different things.Sepsis is a life-threatening medical emergency and requires immediate care. Although more than 1.7 million people in the U.S. develop sepsis each year, and 350,000 people die from it, most people don’t know about all the symptoms or risk factors of sepsis.Here’s a primer on what sepsis is, what causes it, and why early identification and treatment matter. What is sepsis?Many people believe that sepsis is an infection and while that’s not correct, the confusion is understandable: You can’t have sepsis without an infection.Think of a bee sting allergy. If a bee stings you, it hurts, but for most people, that’s the worst of it. But if you’re allergic to bees, your immune system overreacts, causing an allergic reaction — a whole-body (systemic) response — that can lead to anaphylactic shock and death. No bee sting means no allergic reaction. Similarly, no infection means no sepsis.An infection can start off small, like in a bug bite or scrape, or in your body, ...