Meningococcal Sepsis – A Serious Disease
Meningococcal sepsis is a medical emergency and requires immediate treatment. It is a rapidly progressing disease that can lead to shock and simultaneous failure of several organs in the body.
This condition is caused by a meningococcal infection. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are approximately 500,000 such new infections each year. In fact, between 20 and 50% of those who develop meningococcal sepsis die.
Meningococcal sepsis
Multiplication of meningococcus in the blood is a serious thing. This excess of bacteria leads to the formation of clots that impede circulation in one or more organs or extremities, causing gangrene. Paradoxically, hemorrhages are also difficult to control.
Estimates indicate that one in four people with this disease will need to have a limb amputated. In addition, sepsis causes skin lesions that cause scarring and deformity. They often require surgery, and the healing process is quite slow.
Symptoms similar to those of any viral infection usually appear, such as fever, chills, dizziness, nausea, headache, and weakness for the first four to six hours. Diarrhea and vomiting may also occur.
In addition to the above, the most common symptoms of sepsis are:
- Accelerated breathing
- Drowsiness and confusion
- Pain in the joints or limbs
- A rash in the form of small, bright red spots that together look like a new bruise (does not appear in all cases)
The treatment of the disease must take place in a hospital and does not require isolation. The conventional approach includes the following four measures:
- Antibiotics should be given immediately and any visible source of infection should be drained.
- Parenteral hydration is needed to fill the vascular space and keep blood pressure stable to prevent extreme hypotension.
- The use of vasoactive drugs is useful to counteract the cardiovascular changes that, in turn, are the result of inflammation caused by sepsis.
- Life support measures include oxygen administration, tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation; coagulants and fresh frozen plasma are also given when there is bleeding.
Meningococcal sepsis: methods of prevention
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