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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffWhile any type of infection can lead to sepsis, the most likely varieties include:
- Pneumonia
- Abdominal infection
- Kidney infection
- Bloodstream infection (bacteremia)
The incidence of sepsis appears to be increasing in the United States. The causes of this increase may include:
- Aging population. Americans are living longer, which is swelling the ranks of the highest risk age group — people over 65.
- Drug-resistant bacteria. Many types of bacteria can resist the effects of antibiotics that once killed them. These antibiotic-resistant bacteria are often the root cause of the infections that trigger sepsis.
- Weakened immune systems. More Americans are living with weakened immune systems, caused by HIV, cancer treatments or transplant drugs.
References
- Sepsis fact sheet. National Institute of General Medical Sciences. http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Publications/factsheet_sepsis.htm. Accessed May 16, 2011.
- Shapiro NI, et al. Sepsis syndromes. In: Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..X0001-1--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&uniqId=230100505-57. Accessed May 17, 2011.
- Neviere R. Sepsis and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome: Definitions, epidemiology and prognosis. http://uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 17, 2011.
- Russell JA. Shock syndromes related to sepsis. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/191371208-2/0/1492/0.html#. Accessed May 17, 2011.
- Chang HJ, et al. Patient page: Sepsis. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2010;304:1856.
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