Janet Ogundepo Medical practitioners in the field of surgery have again reminded Nigerians of the need for prompt and proper treatment of infections to prevent the onset of a life-threatening syndrome known as sepsis. The surgeons noted that once infections are not properly diagnosed and promptly treated, the body’s immune system could begin to have an extreme reaction to the infection-causing organism by damaging its tissues, consequently leading to septic shock. The World Health Organisation notes that once the body’s reaction causes damage to its tissues, it could lead to shock, multiple organ failure and sometimes death if not recognised early and promptly treated.
The WHO states that sepsis is one of the most frequent causes of death worldwide, noting that about 20 million of all estimated cases occurred in children under the age of five. The health agency further asserted that although there were challenges in collecting reliable data, in 2020, there were 48.9 million cases and 11 million sepsis-related deaths worldwide.
It added that sepsis could affect any individual but the highest incidence rates occurred in lower-middle-income countries. Pregnant women, children, older persons and people with health conditions are at a higher risk of sepsis. The experts, who spoke to PUNCH Healthwise, urged malnourished individuals to improve their nutrition and persons with suppressed immunities to adhere to their drug regimen.
Speaking with PUNCH Healthwise, a professor of Ge.