Death of the septicemia for children top 3.4 million worldwide, the diagnosis remains difficult

Globally, sepsis infection is the main cause of death in children, taking more than 3.4 million lives per year, according to the sepsis alliance – and 85% of these deaths occur before the age of 5.

Septicemia in children is a very difficult and elusive problem for doctors to diagnose and treat, with almost 10% of the missed cases in the emergency room.

When children are admitted with the infection, the average length of the stay is more than a month, depending on the source above.

A common killer bug endangers the Americans: “ pandemic at sight ”

Many people do not know much about sepsis, according to Professor Elliot Long, team leader in clinical sciences and emergency research at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia.

With septicemia, the immune system has an abnormal response to an infection – too exuberant or too minimal.

Globally, sepsis infection is the main cause of death in children, taking more than 3.4 million lives per year, according to sepsis alliance. (istock)

“The immune response can be under-active, which leads to a severe and overwhelming infection, or it can be hyperactive and the immune response itself damages body organs, which can be fatal,” Fox News Digital said in an interview with the camera.

The professor, who received this year a national subsidy of $ 5 million for critical research infrastructure to test potential septicemia treatments through Australia and New Zealand, noted that sepsis is easily missed because parents do not understand how common or severe.

The doctor reveals the secret weapon against the growth of skepticism of vaccines worldwide

The symptoms are often subtle – “and they overlap the same symptoms that you would obtain for self -limited viral infections that are very common in children,” said a lot.

“The paradox is that sepsis in its late stadiums is very easy to pick up, but the treatments are not very effective,” he added. “And seticemia in its early stages is very difficult to pick up – but this is when treatments are most likely to be effective.”

The sepsis alliance uses the acronym TIME To help people remember the main warning panels. (istock)

Septicemia symptoms and treatments

The sepsis alliance uses the acronym TIME To help people remember the main warning panels, as follows.

T = Temperature: higher or lower than normal (fever or hypothermia)

I = Infection: signs of an infection (for example a cut, pneumonia, UTI)

M = Mental decline: confusion, drowsiness, awakening of difficulty or excitation

E = Extremely ill: pain or serious discomfort, shortness of breath, feeling as if you could die

Other warning signs may include shortness of breath, confusion, extreme pain, high blood pressure, fever, organs dysfunction and sweaty or sweaty skin.

Many people do not know much about sepsis, according to Professor Elliot Long, team leader in clinical sciences and emergency research at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia. (Murdoch Children’s Research Institute)

Depending on Long, early detection and treatment of septicemia are essential to prevent potentially fatal complications that damage the kidney, heart, liver, brain and other organs. Sometimes the prevention of these damages implies what seems to be an over-treatment with antibiotics.

Septicemic treatments are changing and work in progress. Currently, all treatments are favorable, which means that the child is treated with antibiotics while doctors take care of abnormal immune responses and await the return of normal function.

“We have a lot of work to do to try to develop treatments that help improve results for septicemia children.”

“These support treatments include simple things like receiving oxygen and fluids, and if children need help for their breathing, if their oxygen levels are too low or if their conscious condition is altered, then they are on a fan,” said a lot.

“We have a lot of work to do to try to develop treatments that help improve results for septicemia children who are not only support treatments, but help to modify the immune response.”

Click here to obtain the Fox News app

Despite children’s resilience, sepsis can have a long -term impact. Long and his colleagues are looking for long -term problems with cognition, emotions and motor capacities.

“The impact is not only on children, it is also on parents because they had an extremely stressful life event,” said Long. “And sometimes it said they had to contemplate the possibility that their child died … so that parents and families end up with this type of survival burden.”

Listen to parents

Because early septicemia is so easy to miss, it has long stressed how important it is for doctors to listen carefully to parents.

Click here to register for our Health Newsletter

“If the parents say:” It is a very abnormal response for my child to an infection or it is the most sick that I have ever seen them “, these are important red flags that it can be something more than a simple minor infection,” he said.

Long told Fox News Digital that the most common age for septicemia patients was under 5 years – and within this group, it is particularly widespread for children under a year.

Septicemia in children is a very difficult and elusive problem for doctors to diagnose and treat, with almost 10% of the missed cases in the emergency room. (istock)

“They are often pre-verbal or cannot describe signs or symptoms, so we count a lot about parents to go through what they think they are going on or what they have observed in their child,” added the doctor.

“Martha’s rule” is a universal principle that allows parents to defend their sick child, which is particularly important with sepsis, where a young life can be easily lost.

For more health items, visit www.foxnews.com/health

“So, if the parents notice that their child is getting worse or deteriorates over time, Martha’s rule has been set up to allow them to get around local climbing procedures and obtain an independent opinion,” said long. “(This allows them) to provide the appropriate level of care for their child in case of deterioration.”