Essential
- SEPSIS, extreme reaction of the immune system in the face of an infection, affects each year between 250,000 and 300,000 people in France and causes 57,000 deaths.
- Often unknown to the general public, it can quickly evolve towards a fatal septic shock if the first symptoms are not detected.
- The first signs of sepsis are fever, tachycardia, rapid breathing, confusion and pain.
57,000 deaths are due each year to sepsis in France, according to the Ministry of Health. It is an extreme reaction of the immune system in the face of a infection of bacterial, viral, fungal or parasitic origin.
Each year, between 250,000 and 300,000 French are affected by a sepsis
If the body’s immune defenses are deregulated, this extreme reaction causes an excess of inflammation which prevents the different organs from operating. The state of the patient can then evolve towards a state of septic shock and a multivisceral failure which are potentially fatal.
Between 250,000 and 300,000 people are affected each year in France by a sepsis of bacterial origin, according to thePasteur Institute. Mortality is 25 % in the hospital but can go up to 50 % in the event of a septic shock.
“The projections in the future suggest a doubling of the number of cases within fifty years, explaining in particular by the aging of the population”, Underlines the Pasteur Institute. If everyone can be affected, some populations are more at risk, such as the elderly, those whose immune system is weakened, suffering from chronic diseases, pregnant women, having recently given birth or newborns.
Sepsis, a completely unknown affection of the public
Despite the magnitude of the sepsis cases and the severity of the sepsis, it “is almost completely unknown to the public and still poorly understood by health professionals ”, indicates the Ministry of Health. However, detect the first symptoms – fever, tachycardia, rapid breathing, confusion and pain – allows you to start treatment quickly, which is therefore more likely to be effective.
“Antibiotic resistance can make treatment more difficult“Indicates theWorld Health Organization (WHO). Some patients can thus keep after longer after -effects, such as cognitive disorders or chronic fatigue.
Last February, the High Health Authority (HAS) issued the first recommendations of good practice on sepsis. The objective is to raise awareness among all actors (patients, family, health professionals, health establishments, hospital administrations, payable organizations, health authorities and political powers) in order to improve the management of sepsis.
Today, sepsis remains one of the most frequent causes of death. In 2017, 11 million people died worldwide, according to WHO.
