| Medical Dictionary |
A Medical Dictionary of Medical Terminology
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Sepsis is your body's overactive and extreme response to an infection. Sepsis is a life-threatening medical emergency. Without quick treatment, it can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and even death.
What causes sepsis?Sepsis happens when an infection you already have triggers a chain reaction throughout your body. Bacterial infections are the most common cause, but other types of infections can also cause it.
The infections are often in the lungs, stomach, kidneys, or bladder. It's possible for sepsis to begin with a small cut that gets infected or with an infection that develops after surgery. Sometimes, sepsis can occur in people who didn't even know that they had an infection.
Who is more likely to develop sepsis?Anyone with an infection could get sepsis. But certain people are more likely to develop it:
Sepsis can cause one or more of these symptoms:
It's important to get medical care right away if you think you might have sepsis or if your infection is not getting better or is getting worse.
What other problems can sepsis cause?Severe cases of sepsis can lead to septic shock, where your blood pressure drops to a dangerous level and multiple organs can fail.
How is sepsis diagnosed?To find out if you have sepsis, your health care provider:
Many of the signs and symptoms of sepsis can also be caused by other medical conditions. This may make sepsis hard to diagnose in its early stages.
What are the treatments for sepsis?It is very important to get treatment right away. Treatment usually includes:
In serious cases, you might need kidney dialysis or a breathing tube. Some people need surgery to remove tissue damaged by the infection.
Can sepsis be prevented?To prevent sepsis, you should try to prevent getting an infection:
NIH: National Institute of General Medical SciencesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
Meningococcal disease is the name for any illness that is caused by Neisseria meningitidis bacteria (also called meningococcal bacteria). These illnesses are often severe and can sometimes be deadly. They include infections of the lining of the brain and spinal cord (meningitis) and in the bloodstream (sepsis). Vaccines can help prevent the disease.
What causes meningococcal disease?Some people have Neisseria meningitidis, the bacteria that cause the disease, in the back of their nose and throat. They usually have the bacteria but don't get sick. This is called being a "carrier." But sometimes the bacteria can spread to other parts of the body and cause meningococcal disease.
The bacteria can spread from person to person through saliva (spit). It usually happens through close or lengthy contact with a person who has it. Close contact can include things like kissing and coughing.
You cannot catch the bacteria through casual contact with someone who has the disease. For example, you cannot get it by breathing air where that person has been.
Who is more likely to get meningococcal disease?Anyone can get meningococcal disease, but you are more likely to get it if someone you live with has it. You are also more likely to get it if you have direct contact with the saliva of someone who has it (like through kissing).
Also, certain groups of people are more likely to get the disease. They include:
There are different types of meningococcal disease. The most common types are meningitis and septicemia. Both types are very serious and can be deadly in a matter of hours.
Meningococcal meningitis is a meningococcal infection of the lining of the brain and spinal cord. The most common symptoms include:
It can also cause symptoms such as:
It may be hard to notice these symptoms in newborns and babies. They can also have different symptoms. They may:
Meningococcal septicemia is a meningococcal infection of the bloodstream. It's also called meningococcemia. When someone has this disease, the bacteria enter the bloodstream and multiply. This damages the walls of the blood vessels and causes bleeding into the skin and organs. The symptoms may include:
Because it is so serious, you need to seek immediate medical attention if you or your child develops the symptoms of meningococcal disease.
How is meningococcal disease diagnosed?The signs and symptoms of meningococcal disease are often similar to those of other illnesses. This can make it hard to diagnose.
If your (or your child's) health care provider thinks that you or your child could have meningococcal disease, they will order tests that take samples of blood and/or cerebrospinal fluid (fluid near the spinal cord). They will send the samples to a lab for testing. The testing will include bacteria culture testing, which can identify the specific type of bacteria that is causing the infection. Knowing this can help the provider decide on the best treatment.
What are the treatments for meningococcal disease?Certain antibiotics can treat meningococcal disease. It is important that treatment is started as soon as possible. So if the provider thinks you have meningococcal disease, they will give you antibiotics right away (before the test results come back).
People with serious disease may need additional treatments, such as:
Some people with meningococcal disease will have long-term health problems and disabilities. These may include:
Even with treatment, 10 to 15 in 100 people will die from the disease.
Can meningococcal disease be prevented?The best way to prevent meningococcal disease is to get vaccinated. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends meningococcal vaccination for:
If you are a close contact of a person with meningococcal disease, you will likely be given antibiotics to prevent you from getting sick. This is called "prophylaxis." Close contacts include people who are living together. They also include people who had direct contact with the saliva of a person who has the disease (such as from kissing).
Although it's rare, you can get meningococcal disease more than once.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Strep is short for Streptococcus, a type of bacteria. There are several types. Two of them cause most of the strep infections in people: group A and group B.
Group A strep causes:
Group B strep can cause blood infections, pneumonia and meningitis in newborns. A screening test during pregnancy can tell if you have it. If you do, intravenous (IV) antibiotics during labor can save your baby's life. Adults can also get group B strep infections, especially if they are 65 or older or already have health problems. Strep B can cause urinary tract infections, blood infections, skin infections and pneumonia in adults.
Antibiotics are used to treat strep infections.
Bacteria are living things that have only one cell. Under a microscope, they look like balls, rods, or spirals. They are so small that a line of 1,000 could fit across a pencil eraser. Most types of don't make you sick. Many types are helpful. Some of them help to digest food, destroy disease-causing cells, and give the body needed vitamins. Bacteria are also used in making healthy foods like yogurt and cheese.
But infectious bacteria can make you ill. They reproduce quickly in your body. Many give off chemicals called toxins, which can damage tissue and make you sick. Examples of bacteria that cause infections include Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and E. coli.
Antibiotics are the usual treatment. When you take antibiotics, follow the directions carefully. Each time you take antibiotics, you increase the chances that bacteria in your body will learn to resist them causing antibiotic resistance. Later, you could get or spread an infection that those antibiotics cannot cure.
NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Critical care is medical care for people who have life-threatening injuries and illnesses. It usually takes place in an intensive care unit (ICU). A team of specially-trained health care providers gives you 24-hour care. This includes using machines to constantly monitor your vital signs. It also usually involves giving you specialized treatments.
Who needs critical care?You need critical care if you have a life-threatening illness or injury, such as:
In a critical care unit, health care providers use lots of different equipment, including:
These machines can help keep you alive, but many of them can also raise your risk of infection.
Sometimes people in a critical care unit are not able to communicate. It's important that you have an advance directive in place. This can help your health care providers and family members make important decisions, including end-of-life decisions, if you are not able to make them.
Endocarditis is sometimes called infective endocarditis. It's a rare, but life-threatening inflammation of the lining inside your heart's chambers and valves (the endocardium).
Endocarditis is usually caused by germs that get into your bloodstream and travel to your heart. Once they get inside your heart, the germs can attach to the lining or get trapped in the valves. They start to grow, causing an infection. If not treated quickly, the infection can cause damage to the heart and lead to serious health problems.
What causes endocarditis?Bacterial infections cause most endocarditis. Normally, many bacteria live in your mouth, on your skin, or in other parts of the body. Sometimes the bacteria can get into your bloodstream from injuries such cuts or scrapes. Dental work and certain surgeries can also allow small amounts of bacteria to enter your bloodstream.
In some cases, fungal infections cause endocarditis. The fungi, such as yeast, can live in parts of your body. Fungal infections generally happen in people who have weakened immune systems that can't stop the fungus from growing. This includes people who have HIV.
Who is more likely to develop endocarditis?In general, endocarditis is rare. If you're healthy, your immune system usually destroys the germs in your bloodstream before they can cause harm.
But your chance of developing endocarditis may be higher than most people if you:
Endocarditis symptoms may be severe or very mild. They may start suddenly or slowly. And they can vary from person to person. The possible symptoms of endocarditis include:
When the germs are in your heart, they can clump together with blood cells. These clumps can break off and travel through your bloodstream. They may block blood flow, spread infection, or damage your organs, including your brain, lungs, kidneys, and spleen.
Endocarditis may sometimes lead to sepsis, a medical emergency that happens when your body has an extreme response to the infection.
Endocarditis can also cause serious heart problems including:
To find out if you have endocarditis, your doctor will:
If you have endocarditis, it's important to get treatment quickly. Treatments may include:
Treatment may last weeks, and you may need tests to make sure it's working. Your doctor will also check you for problems that could develop from endocarditis, such as heart failure or an irregular heartbeat.
Can endocarditis be prevented?If you have a higher chance of developing endocarditis than most people, you can reduce your risk if you:
People with the highest risk for bacterial endocarditis need antibiotics before dental visits or certain medical or surgical procedures. Ask your provider if you're part of the highest risk group. If so, let all your providers know about your risk.
NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
During pregnancy, some common infections like the common cold or a skin infection do not usually cause serious problems. But other infections can be dangerous to you, your baby, or both. Some infections may lead to preterm birth and low birth weight babies. Others can cause serious illness, birth defects, and lifelong disabilities, such as hearing loss or learning problems.
Some of the infections that can be dangerous during pregnancy include:
To try to prevent infections,:
If you do get an infection during pregnancy, contact your health care provider about how best to protect you and your baby. Only some medicines are safe during pregnancy.
Pneumococci are a type of streptococcus bacteria. The bacteria spread through contact with people who are ill or by healthy people who carry the bacteria in the back of their nose. Pneumococcal infections can be mild or severe. The most common types of infections are:
How the diagnosis is made depends upon where the infection is. Your doctor will do a physical exam and ask about your medical history. Possible tests may include blood, imaging, or lab tests. Treatment is with antibiotics. Vaccines can prevent pneumococcal infections. There are two vaccines. One is for infants and young children. The other is for people at high risk, including those who are over 65 years old, have chronic illnesses or weak immune systems, smoke, have asthma, or live in long-term care facilities.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Shock happens when not enough blood and oxygen can get to your organs and tissues. It causes very low blood pressure and may be life-threatening. It often happens along with a serious injury.
There are several kinds of shock. Hypovolemic shock happens when you lose a lot of blood or fluids. Causes include internal or external bleeding, dehydration, burns, and severe vomiting and/or diarrhea. Septic shock is caused by infections in the bloodstream. A severe allergic reaction can cause anaphylactic shock. An insect bite or sting might cause it. Cardiogenic shock happens when the heart cannot pump blood effectively. This may happen after a heart attack. Neurogenic shock is caused by damage to the nervous system.
Symptoms of shock include:
Shock is a life-threatening medical emergency and it is important to get help right away. Treatment of shock depends on the cause.
NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Staphylococcus (staph) is a group of bacteria. There are more than 30 types. A type called Staphylococcus aureus causes most infections.
Staph bacteria can cause many different types of infections, including:
Some people carry staph bacteria on their skin or in their noses, but they do not get an infection. But if they get a cut or wound, the bacteria can enter the body and cause an infection.
Staph bacteria can spread from person to person. They can also spread on objects, such as towels, clothing, door handles, athletic equipment, and remotes. If you have staph and do not handle food properly when you are preparing it, you can also spread staph to others.
Who is more likely to get a staph infection?Anyone can develop a staph infection, but certain people are more likely to get one, including those who:
The symptoms of a staph infection depend on the type of infection:
Your health care provider will do a physical exam and ask about your symptoms. Often, providers can tell if you have a staph skin infection by looking at it. To check for other types of staph infections, providers may do a culture, with a skin scraping, tissue sample, stool sample, or throat or nasal swabs. There may be other tests, such as imaging tests, depending on the type of infection.
What are the treatments for staph infections?Treatment for staph infections is antibiotics. Depending on the type of infection, the antibiotics might be a cream, ointment, medicines (to swallow), or intravenous (IV) medicine. If you have an infected wound, your provider might drain it. Sometimes you may need surgery for bone infections.
Some staph infections, such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), are resistant to many antibiotics. There are still certain antibiotics that can treat these infections.
Can staph infections be prevented?Certain steps can help to prevent staph infections: