Lethal Bugs: It Can Kill You in 24 Hours

Lethal Bugs: It Can Kill You in 24 Hours

by 12/29/2016

There is one condition that kills so quickly, you can be dead within 24 hours if you ignore the symptoms.

It takes 258,000 American lives a year. That’s more than breast cancer (41,150), colon cancer (49,190), diabetes (75,578), and Alzheimer’s (84,767) combined… But half of Americans have never even heard of it.1,2

Sepsis occurs when the body has an extreme response to an infection. Immune chemicals pour into the blood, poisoning it. This triggers widespread inflammation. Without prompt treatment, patients suffer life-threatening blood clots, leaky blood vessels, and organ failure.3

The incidence of sepsis is increasing in the U.S. This is due in part to an aging population. But there’s another cause that’s more alarming. It’s the rise of drug-resistant bacteria. These so-called superbugs cause many cases of sepsis. They are the result of doctors overusing antibiotics.

Sepsis made the news last year when TV star Patty Duke reportedly died from the condition at age 69.


 


Thomas Heymann is executive director of the Sepsis Alliance. He said sepsis is not widely known as a lethal illness because it is usually reported as “complications” of pneumonia, flu, or another infection.

“The fact that they said Patty Duke’s cause of death was sepsis is relatively new,” Heymann said. “It very often would have been left as a complication of surgery or an infection, but it’s not a complication, it’s sepsis.”4

According to the Sepsis Alliance, celebrities killed by sepsis include radio star Casey Kasem, actor Corey Haim, Muppets creator Jim Henson, actor Bernie Mac, Prince Ranier of Monaco, actor Leslie Nielsen, and bandleader Lawrence Welk.5

Sepsis Occurs Most Often in Hospitals

The time to be most vigilant is when you’re in the hospital or have just been released. Sepsis contributes to half of all hospital deaths.6

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about 70% of patients with sepsis got it in a health care facility. Hospitals are full of infectious bacteria like staph, E. coli, and strep. These are the most common sepsis-causing germs.7

Never Ignore These Sepsis Symptoms

“When sepsis occurs, it should be treated as a medical emergency,” CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden reports.8 More than two-thirds of people who get sepsis die.

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If you have an infection, two or more of these symptoms indicate a possible case of sepsis:9

  • Body temperature above 101 degrees or below 96.8
  • Heart rate higher than 90 beats a minute
  • Respiratory rate higher than 20 breaths a minute

If you have these symptoms, whether you are in the hospital or not, don’t delay. Ask for help immediately. Your life could be in danger. Get medical attention right away.

Best Ways to Prevent Sepsis

The best defense? Meticulous handwashing while you’re in the hospital… Both for you and the people treating you.10

When your doctors and nurses step into your room, before they touch you, ask if they’ve washed their hands. They should not be offended. It could save your life.

A quarter of sepsis cases result from urinary tract infections (UTIs). If you have a UTI, treat it early.11

About one in 10 sepsis cases follows a skin infection. If you have a cut or scrape, keep it clean to guard against infection.

There are other ways to prevent potential sepsis-causing infections… And we’ve put them all together for you in our report, Bulletproof Your Immunity: Easy Ways to Protect Your Health.

Get all the details HERE.

References:
1http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/patty-duke-death-sepsis-awareness_us_56faf2b6e4b0a06d5803ef31
2https://www.institutefornaturalhealing.com/2016/03/patty-duke-victim-of-americas-secret-epidemic/
3https://consumer.healthday.com/infectious-disease-information-21/misc-infections-news-411/fast-action-can-prevent-sepsis-death-cdc-714161.html
4http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/patty-duke-death-sepsis-awareness_us_56faf2b6e4b0a06d5803ef31
5http://www.sepsis.org/sepsis-and/celebrities/
6http://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/ats/45862
7https://www.nigms.nih.gov/Education/Pages/factsheet_sepsis.aspx
8https://consumer.healthday.com/infectious-disease-information-21/misc-infections-news-411/fast-action-can-prevent-sepsis-death-cdc-714161.html
9https://consumer.healthday.com/infectious-disease-information-21/misc-infections-news-411/fast-action-can-prevent-sepsis-death-cdc-714161.html
10https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249958/
11http://www.consumerreports.org/doctors-hospitals/how-to-avoid-sepsis-deadly-medical-emergency/

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