By D Johnson From Science World Report

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has named sepsis a medical emergency. According to the agency, at least 72 percent of patients with this rapid-acting and fatal illness were seen by doctors and nurses but failed to catch it earlier to prevent it.

The Washington Post reported the CDC identifying pneumonia and infections of the urinary tract, skin and gut as the most common leading illness that usually causes sepsis. Unfortunately, there are no specific tests to check for sepsis and symptoms can be different among each person, which often is the reason why it is not detected early.

It is a complication of an infection that can lead to life-threatening conditions like tissue damage, organ failure, and even death. However, the report said that there are different ways medical personnel can do to avoid sepsis from happening. These include vaccinating against pneumonia, preventing the spread of infection by hand washing and increase people’s awareness about sepsis. “When sepsis occurs, it should be treated as a medical emergency,” CDC Director Tom Frieden said in a press release. “Doctors and nurses can prevent sepsis and also the devastating effects of sepsis, and patients and families can watch for sepsis and ask, ‘could this be sepsis?'”

According to International Business Times, the six key signs and symptoms of sepsis are shivering, fever or feeling cold, extreme pain or discomfort, clammy or sweaty skin, confusion or disorientation, shortness of breath and an elevated heart rate. In the United States, between one to three million people are diagnosed with sepsis every year. The condition’s prognosis is very good if caught early, but mortality rate increases to 25 to 30 percent for severe sepsis and 40 to 70 percent in cases where septic shock happens. The report also said that a person has a 7.6 percent chance of survival when he goes into septic shock with the rate decreasing by the hour without treatment.

“This report is putting a face on sepsis and documenting that it is still a huge problem, and it doesn’t have to be. Far too many people die from sepsis today. Sepsis is an unrecognized killer [and] a medical emergency,” Frieden said.

Meanwhile, newsy-today.com also reported that included in the CDC’s report is a study of 325 patients (246 adults and 79 children) who had been diagnosed of a certain condition between Oct. 2012 and Sept. 2013 at four different hospitals in New York. Results showed that more than 7 to 10 patients had chronic conditions requiring routine care or had visited healthcare services in the 30 days prior. Of those patients, 30 percent died.

It was found that pneumonia, with was the most common illness that led to sepsis with a total of 35 percent. Urinary tract infections were at 25 percent, gastrointestinal infections at 11 percent, followed by skin or soft tissue infections at 11 percent. The most common pathogens identified from blood samples in the study that caused sepsis are Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli , and certain types of Streptococcus.

“An infection that is getting worse and is not treated can lead to sepsis. We call on healthcare providers to take opportunities to prevent, identify, and rapidly treat patients with sepsis and to educate patients and family members about sepsis,” Frieden ended.

IMAGE: The most common illnesses that usually lead to sepsis include pneumonia and infections of the urinary tract, skin and gut. (Image used for representation only.)
(Photo : Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

For more on this story and video go to: http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/46054/20160825/cdc-sepsis-is-a-medical-emergency-can-be-stopped-if-caught-early.htm