Sepsis kills about 37,000 people in England every year. It causes the body’s immune system to go into overdrive and can lead to organ failure and death. Individuals at increased risk of sepsis includes;

• People who inject drugs
• Homeless
• Immunocompromised individuals
• Diabetics

Sepsis symptoms in older children and adults

Early symptoms of sepsis may include:

• a high temperature (fever) or low body temperature
• chills and shivering
• a fast heartbeat
• fast breathing

In some cases, symptoms of more severe sepsis or septic shock (when your blood pressure drops to a dangerously low level) develop soon after.

These can include:

• feeling dizzy or faint
• a change in mental state – such as confusion or disorientation
• diarrhoea
• nausea and vomiting
• slurred speech
• severe muscle pain
• severe breathlessness
• less urine production than normal – for example, not urinating for a day
• cold, clammy and pale or mottled skin
• loss of consciousness

Sepsis Screening Tool – General Practice