Septicemia
The medical name for blood poisoning, a potentially lethal blood infection characterized by the rapid multiplication of bacteria and the presence of their toxins. Septicemia is the body’s response to severe infection, mediated through the immune system and involving nearly every other system in the body. The condition may produce harmful effects in other organs, leading to very high death rates.
Cause
Septicemia can occur when certain forms of bacteria enter the bloodstream. These bacteria give off poisonous toxins that remain even after the bacteria disintegrate, and that can lead to a dramatic drop in blood pressure (SEPTIC SHOCK), with rapid heartbeat and breathing.
Symptoms
Septicemia is characterized by sudden onset of fever, chills, rapid breathing, headache, nausea or diarrhea, and clouding of consciousness. Skin rashes and jaundice may occur, and the hands may be particularly warm. If large amounts of toxins are produced by the bacteria the patient may fall into a state of septic shock.
Treatment
Until recently, there was no way to treat sepsis other than to give patients antibiotics to try to minimize the severity of their symptoms. Xigris, the first drug ever found to directly attack sepsis, was approved by the FDA in 2001. However, it has not yet been approved for all children (Xigris is only available under an experimental study protocol for children younger than 18 years). Because no one yet knows if Xigris will help children with sepsis, drug manufacturer Eli Lilly agreed to FDA requests to study Xigris in children.
The FDA also warned that Xigris is to be used only for the sepsis patients deemed least likely to survive. When given to such people, the drug can cut the chances of death 13 percent. In lower-risk patients, the drug seemed to make no difference. When the initial drug results were released, the drug was referred to as a “landmark” in criticalcare treatment. It was only after the study was completed, however, that the FDA did an analysis concluding that the beneficial effect was concentrated in high-risk patients.
Because Xigris works by interfering with blood clotting, it can cause severe bleeding, including strokes, the FDA warned. In clinical trials, serious bleeding occurred in 2.4 percent of patients. This means the drug should never be used for patients with active internal bleeding or who are at high risk of bleeding because of a recent stroke or head or spinal injury.
The drug is a genetically engineered version of anaturally occurring human protein (activated protein C) that interferes with some of the body’s harmful responses to severe infection, including blood clots that can lead to organ failure and death. While not everyone will benefit from this treatment, experts believe the approval of Xigris is an important advance for the treatment of this oftendeadly disease. Because sepsis is a life-threatening condition and because treatment with Xigris comes with potentially serious risks, the benefits and risks of treatment with Xigris must be carefully weighed for each individual patient.
Cause
Septicemia can occur when certain forms of bacteria enter the bloodstream. These bacteria give off poisonous toxins that remain even after the bacteria disintegrate, and that can lead to a dramatic drop in blood pressure (SEPTIC SHOCK), with rapid heartbeat and breathing.
Symptoms
Septicemia is characterized by sudden onset of fever, chills, rapid breathing, headache, nausea or diarrhea, and clouding of consciousness. Skin rashes and jaundice may occur, and the hands may be particularly warm. If large amounts of toxins are produced by the bacteria the patient may fall into a state of septic shock.
Treatment
Until recently, there was no way to treat sepsis other than to give patients antibiotics to try to minimize the severity of their symptoms. Xigris, the first drug ever found to directly attack sepsis, was approved by the FDA in 2001. However, it has not yet been approved for all children (Xigris is only available under an experimental study protocol for children younger than 18 years). Because no one yet knows if Xigris will help children with sepsis, drug manufacturer Eli Lilly agreed to FDA requests to study Xigris in children.
The FDA also warned that Xigris is to be used only for the sepsis patients deemed least likely to survive. When given to such people, the drug can cut the chances of death 13 percent. In lower-risk patients, the drug seemed to make no difference. When the initial drug results were released, the drug was referred to as a “landmark” in criticalcare treatment. It was only after the study was completed, however, that the FDA did an analysis concluding that the beneficial effect was concentrated in high-risk patients.
Because Xigris works by interfering with blood clotting, it can cause severe bleeding, including strokes, the FDA warned. In clinical trials, serious bleeding occurred in 2.4 percent of patients. This means the drug should never be used for patients with active internal bleeding or who are at high risk of bleeding because of a recent stroke or head or spinal injury.
The drug is a genetically engineered version of anaturally occurring human protein (activated protein C) that interferes with some of the body’s harmful responses to severe infection, including blood clots that can lead to organ failure and death. While not everyone will benefit from this treatment, experts believe the approval of Xigris is an important advance for the treatment of this oftendeadly disease. Because sepsis is a life-threatening condition and because treatment with Xigris comes with potentially serious risks, the benefits and risks of treatment with Xigris must be carefully weighed for each individual patient.
Tags: blood poisoning, lethal blood infection, rapid multiplication of bacteria, SEPTIC SHOCK, Septicemia
Posted in Health and Wellness
