Last Updated on Wednesday, 21 October 2009 14:07

Symptoms of Septicemia

Septicemia is a serious, life-threatening infection that worsens rapidly. The signs and symptoms are as follows:

• Sudden onset of spiking fevers with chills.

• Rapid breathing with increased heart rate.

• Toxic appearance with a feeling of impending doom.

These symptoms, if not controlled at the earliest, will rapidly progress to a septic shock.

Septic shock

Septic shock is a serious condition that occurs when an uncontrolled/untreated infection leads to low blood pressure and low blood flow. Major organs like your brain, heart, kidneys, and liver may not work properly and may also fail.

The symptoms of a septic shock include the following.

• Cold, clammy, pale and cyanotic (blue) appearance.

• Changes in mental state such as irritability, lethargy, anxiety, agitated, unresponsive and comatose condition.

• Blood-clotting abnormalities characterized by red spots on the skin (petechiae), large, flat, purplish lesions that do not blanch when pressed (ecchymosis) and decreased or absent blood flow (gangrene).

• Decreased or no urine output.