Sepsis

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Antibodies

Sepsis is a severe illness in which the bloodstream is overwhelmed by bacteria.

Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS)

Sepsis is caused by a bacterial infection that can begin anywhere in the body. Common places where an infection might start include:

• The bowel (usually seen with peritonitis)
• The kidneys (upper urinary tract infection or pyelonephritis)
• The lining of the brain (meningitis)
• The liver or the gall bladder
• The lungs (bacterial pneumonia)
• The skin (cellulitis)

In children, sepsis may accompany infection of the bone (osteomyelitis). In hospitalized patients, common sites of infection include intravenous lines, surgical wounds, surgical drains, and sites of skin breakdown known as bedsores (decubitus ulcers).

Review Date: 09/15/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).

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