Sepsis : when a simple infection becomes deadly

Farthing, Andrew G. and Howell, Jessie and Baillie, J. Kenneth and Forde, Taya and Garrett, Alice and Goodyear, Carl S. and Gracie, Jennifer and Graham, Colin and Hammarton, Tansy C. and Murphy, Michael E. and Peveler, William J. and Pybus, Simon and Sajib, Mohammad Saiful Islam and Thomson, Gill and Jimenez, Melanie (2021) Sepsis : when a simple infection becomes deadly. Frontiers for Young Minds, 9. 63968. ISSN 2296-6846 (https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2021.639681)

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Abstract

The immune system plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy body by working around the clock to recognize and respond to infection. Inflammation is part of the immune system’s protective response to an infection. The inflammatory response is incredibly powerful, so much so that it can damage the body’s cells if it is not tightly controlled. Sometimes, inflammation affects the whole body—this is called sepsis. The powerful and complex mechanisms in place to wipe out the infection can cause serious damage to healthy cells and tissues. Uncontrolled inflammation can cause irreversible damage to the body’s organs, such as the kidneys, eventually causing organs to shut down. If sepsis is not treated rapidly, it can lead to death. In this article, we describe the symptoms and diagnosis of sepsis and some of the current research being performed to better understand this dangerous process.

ORCID iDs

Farthing, Andrew G., Howell, Jessie, Baillie, J. Kenneth, Forde, Taya, Garrett, Alice, Goodyear, Carl S., Gracie, Jennifer ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9830-9932, Graham, Colin, Hammarton, Tansy C., Murphy, Michael E., Peveler, William J., Pybus, Simon, Sajib, Mohammad Saiful Islam, Thomson, Gill and Jimenez, Melanie ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4631-0608;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)