Here are six things to know:
1. Sepsis Alliance Executive Director Thomas Heymann urged more people to become aware of the condition so people understand sepsis’ seriousness.
2. Of 2,000 Americans the alliance surveyed, 47 percent knew the definition of sepsis.
3. More than 258,000 Americans die from sepsis annually, according to the CDC.
4. Physicians struggle with sepsis diagnoses because the symptoms are very similar to regular infections.
5. Since sepsis is categorized as a hospital-acquired infection, the condition is often overlooked in patients who were not in the hospital. However, more than two-thirds of sepsis cases are first seen in the emergency department.
6. Experts encourage physicians to check organ dysfunction if patients show signs of infections.
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