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- Dubai 04:33 05:50 12:21 15:48 18:46 20:03
Bacteria Blood Infection or bacterial sepsis as a medical illustration for illness from green pathogens inside the human body attacking healthy red cells as a health care icon of disease and cure. [Image via Shutterstock]
Sepsis is a disease of growing concern worldwide, with 20 to 30 million deaths per year.
In the UAE, it is expected that every third patient transmitted to an intensive care unit is suffering from sepsis.
In more than third of the cases, the patient dies from the disease.
Sepsis is a condition characterised by a whole-body inflammatory state, which is triggered by another infection. In case of sepsis, the immune system fighting the pathogen invading the body overreacts, which creates widespread inflammation in the bloodstream, bones, vital organs or on the skin.
"Where sepsis occurs depends on the initial infection that led to the inflammation. In 60-80 per cent of the cases, sepsis occurs in the bloodstream, lungs, urinary tract or on the skin," explains Dr. Amro Alastal, Consultant in Critical Care and Pulmonologist at Dubai Hospital.
Depending on the location of the infection symptoms can differ from patient to patient. However, there is always a low blood pressure, says Dr. Amro. This is accompanied by liturgy, disorientation and fatigue.
Once the infection has developed, the disease can easily become fatal. If not helped directly, it can be a matter of days. But there are also cases where the patient died in a couple of hours.
"I have seen a case of a 28-year-old male, who came in at 10am with a severe case of sepsis. At 4pm he died. There was really nothing we could do," says Dr. Amro.
The severity of the infection depends on the immune system of the patient, and this is probably one of the few cases where a stronger immune system can turn out negatively. The stronger the immune system, the stronger the chance of overreaction, leading to the inflammation.
"In this sense, young people have less chance to survive sepsis. On the other hand, elder people have more diseases, so are more likely to develop the disease," explains Dr. Amro.
"The use of antibiotics can actually be in favour of a patient here; the use of antibiotics weakens the immune system, which will decrease the chance of developing sepsis," points out Dr. Mazen Riad Naba, Specialist Internal Medicine at Medcare Hospital Dubai.
Although sepsis is a leading cause of death, awareness of the disease is very low worldwide. Over the last ten years this awareness has increased, but there is still a lot to be done, thinks Dr. Amro.
"What is important is that emergency section staff is aware of the disease, so patients are directed to the right place on time. In 60-70 per cent of the cases patients come to the hospital late.
"Patients with sepsis are always given priority, it is all about how quick one can intervene within the first 6 hours. If the patient is not treated within this time the survival rate will go down.
"The good thing is that we know what to do nowadays. We know the procedure, we know which steps to take. There are more medicine to treat the disease, and we are taking it seriously."
A patient suffering symptoms that might indicate sepsis should always go straight to the emergency room of a hospital. "Patients with sepsis would not do otherwise, because they are sometimes not able to stand on their feet," says Dr. Amro.
Once in hospital, a proper test can be carried out within 20 minutes and the diagnosis can be made. "It is a very straightforward diagnosis," says Dr. Amro.
Asked if there is a need for more beds in the intensive care unit, Dr. Amro answers: "There is always a need for more beds, this is a worldwide problem. However, when somebody with sepsis comes in, we try to push for a bed. We will treat the patient one way or another. "
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