What is sepsis?

it is a health related question

Sepsis (in Greek 危萎蠄喂蟼, putrefaction) is a serious medical condition caused by a severe infection. The more critical subsets of sepsis include severe sepsis (sepsis with acute organ dysfunction) and septic shock (sepsis with refractory arterial hypotension). If a proven source of infection is lacking but the other criteria of sepsis are met the condition is known as systemic inflammatory response syndrome.

Septicemia is sepsis of the bloodstream caused by bacteremia, which is the presence of bacteria in the bloodstream. The term septicemia is also used to refer to sepsis in general.


Symptoms
The systemic inflammatory response syndrome leads to widespread activation of inflammation and coagulation pathways. This may progress to dysfunction of the circulatory system and, even under optimal treatment, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and eventually death.

Sepsis is more common and also more dangerous in elderly, immunocompromised, and critically ill patients. It occurs in 2% of all hospitalizations and accounts for as much as 25% of intensive care unit (ICU) bed utilization. It is a major cause of death in intensive care units worldwide, with mortality rates that range from 20% for sepsis to 40% for severe sepsis to >60% for septic shock. In the United States, sepsis is the leading cause of death in non-coronary ICU patients, and the tenth most common cause of death overall according to 2000 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

When your body is infected by a bacteria.

"Sepsis is a serious but rare infection that is usually caused by bacteria. It occurs when bacteria, which can originate in a child's lungs, intestines, urinary tract, or gallbladder, make toxins that cause the body's immune system to attack the body's own organs and tissues."

I cut and pasted the above from the website: "Sepsis" http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/pregnan...