WordValesepsis
a life-threatening body-wide response to infection
In more detail
a serious medical condition caused by the body's extreme reaction to an infection, which can lead to organ failure and death if not treated quickly
Examples
- The patient developed sepsis after the wound became infected.
How to use sepsis
Sepsis is a technical medical term used in clinical, healthcare, and scientific contexts to describe a life-threatening condition where the body's response to infection causes tissue damage. It is more precise than the older term 'blood poisoning' and is the standard terminology in modern medicine. The condition exists on a spectrum from sepsis to severe sepsis to septic shock.
Common phrases
- develop sepsis
- risk of sepsis
- sepsis treatment
- severe sepsis
- septic shock
Synonyms
blood poisoning · systemic infection · bacteremia
Word family
septic · septicemia
A common mistake
Learners sometimes confuse sepsis with septic shock, which is sepsis with severe hypotension and organ dysfunction—septic shock is a more advanced stage of sepsis.
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