Researchers say patients with existing health problems are at higher risk of sepsis

According to recent research, having a pre-existing health condition and living in a deprived community increases the risk of sepsis, and a history of extensive antibiotic exposure or a having a learning disability also raises the danger for individuals.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition in which the body overreacts to an infection and attacks its own organs and tissues.

The latest research, led by a team at the University of Manchester, examined NHS data on 224,000 cases in England between January 2019 and June 2022.  It found that those from the most deprived communities were 80 per cent more likely to develop sepsis than those in the wealthiest areas.  The risk for those with a learning disability was much higher again.

Professor Tjeerd van Staa, co-author of the study, said “This research underscores the urgent need for sepsis risk prediction models to account for chronic disease status, deprivation status, and learning disabilities, along with infection severity.  There is an urgent need to improve the prevention of sepsis, including more precise targeting of antimicrobials to higher-risk patients.”

Dr Colin Brown, co-author and sepsis chief at the UK Health Security Agency, said “Tackling inequalities is a core part of our public health approach and a deeper understanding of who serious bacterial infections affect will help us best target interventions to address them.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (jacquelinevance@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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