Introduction
Blood poisoning (sepsis) refers to the spread of pathogens from an infection into the blood. The symptoms are not dependent on the type of pathogen. In the beginning, patients usually suffer from high fever and chills. In addition, the blood pressure can drop. If blood poisoning is suspected, a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible as this is a potentially life-threatening situation.
These are the typical symptoms of sepsis
There is no leading symptom in blood poisoning, rather several symptoms appearing simultaneously. Common to all sepsis diseases is a deterioration of the physical and mental condition of the person affected. There is a strong, subjective feeling of illness.
In addition, there are further typical symptoms: low blood pressure (systolic < 100 mmHg), increased respiration up to a shortness of breath, tachycardia, fever, chills, petechiae, small bleedings (ecchymosis), inflamed puncture site (e.g. after the insertion of a catheter or after an operation), warm fingers and toes in the beginning, then cold fingers and toes as the disease progresses. – low blood pressure (systolic < 100 mmHg),
- Increased breathing up to shortness of breath
- Tachycardia
- Fever,
- Chills,
- Punctual bleeding (so-called petechiae),
- Small area bleeding (so-called ecchymosis),
- Inflamed puncture site (e.g. after laying a catheter or after surgery)
- Initially warm fingers and toes, then cold fingers and toes as the disease progresses
One of the main symptoms of blood poisoning is high fever and chills. The temperature is over 38 degrees Celsius.
However, blood poisoning can also occur without a high fever. Rarely it can happen that the affected person suffers from a low temperature, i.e. a body temperature below 36 degrees Celsius, instead of a fever. In medical terms, this is known as hypothermia.
There are some symptoms on the skin that can be used to detect blood poisoning. Among other things, an already existing wound can become inflamed and cause redness, swelling and pain. In addition, the affected person may complain of cold sweat and thus an overall cool skin.
This symptom occurs as a result of reduced blood circulation, as does pale or grey skin colour. In some cases, blood poisoning due to a decrease in the number of blood cells leads to punctiform to small-area bleeding of the skin or mucous membranes. However, in the case of blood poisoning, these symptoms do not occur alone but together with other typical signs such as fever, chills and low blood pressure.
It is mistakenly believed that a red line running towards the heart is the result of blood poisoning. If this reaches the heart, death is imminent. This assumption is not entirely correct.
The disease in question is the so-called lymphangitis (inflammation of one or more lymphatic channels). Lymphangitis is caused by bacterial pathogens entering the lymphatic system, for example through a wound. If left untreated, however, it can develop into blood poisoning.
Lymphangitis should therefore still be examined and treated by a doctor as soon as possible. Another main symptom of sepsis is low blood pressure. A blood pressure monitor usually shows values of less than 100 mmHg systolic.
The low blood pressure is caused by dilation of the blood vessels. This is an attempt to guarantee the organs a sufficient blood supply. As a therapy, the patient is injected intravenously, i.e. through the veins, with a certain amount of fluid in order to increase the amount of blood in the circulation and thus bring the blood pressure to normal values.
You can find out how to improve low blood pressure with home remedies at Home remedies for low blood pressurePatients with blood poisoning have increased breathing. Due to the fast breathing an increased amount of carbon dioxide is breathed out, the pH value of the blood shifts to alkaline values. This leads to a so-called respiratory alkalosis.
The respiratory frequency is often more than 20 times per minute. If the blood poisoning progresses further, it can also lead to shortness of breath. Patients suffering from blood poisoning usually complain about a fast heart rate, the pulse is more than 90 beats per minute.
This is a typical symptom of blood poisoning. The resulting low blood pressure means that there is a risk that the organs are not supplied with sufficient blood and therefore fail to function properly. To counteract this, the heart begins to beat faster.
This is intended to accelerate the blood flow in the circulatory system and ensure a normal blood supply to the organs. You can find out what other causes can be behind a tachycardia under What are the causes behind tachycardia? Blood poisoning first becomes apparent through a strong general feeling of illness.
Patients often feel exhausted, tired and lacking in drive. However, when the bacteria reach the brain vessels through the bloodstream, the brain is also affected. It is not uncommon for consciousness disorders such as confusion and reduced attention to occur. Patients complain of reduced concentration, drowsiness and abnormal drowsiness.
All articles in this series:
