Now’s the Time to be Sepsis Aware

September is Sepsis Awareness Month, and the Sepsis Alliance is using the occasion to call for everyone to learn the symptoms of sepsis. Someone dies of sepsis every two minutes in the United States, and the Sepsis Alliance calls it an “equal-opportunity killer” that can impact people of all ages and all levels of health.1 Despite that, only 34% of American adults have even heard of sepsis.1

What Is Sepsis?

Sepsis can occur when an infection triggers a life-threatening chain reaction throughout your body. Signs and symptoms of sepsis include high heart rate, shortness of breath, extreme pain or discomfort, fever or shivering, sweaty or clammy skin, and confusion.

When watching for sepsis, the Sepsis Alliance says to remember the TIME: temperature, infection, mental decline, and extreme illness.