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Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 are being encouraged to familiarise themselves with the signs of the deadly reaction to an infection. A report released by the UK Sepsis Trust revealed one in five COVID-19 survivors who require hospital treatment are at risk of sepsis within a year of being discharged.
Trending The group has estimated 100,000 people are going to be discharged from hospitals across the UK after having had coronavirus.
The charity has urged the Government to invest in an awareness campaign in response to their research.
Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection and is life-threatening.
When it happens, the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection which can lead to organ failure and death.
Thousands of coronavirus survivors at risk of life-threatening infection (Image: getty)
Sepsis could be diagnosed to as many as 20,000 survivors of coronavirus within a year (Image: getty) Founder of the UK Sepsis Trust, Dr Ron Daniels, said it is really important for people who have survived COVID-19, either mildly at home or in hospital, should be aware of the symptoms.
He said there are six signs which spell out the word sepsis to look for.
S for slurred speech or confusion, E for extreme pain in muscles or joints, P for passing no urine in a day, S for severe breathlessness, I for “it feels like I’m going to die” and finally S for mottled or discoloured skin.
The UK Sepsis Trust and York Health Economics Consortium estimated that unless the additional sepsis cases are diagnosed early, many patients could die.
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Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection and is life-threatening (Image: getty) Related articles Coronavirus map LIVE: This ISN'T over! WHO issues terrifying warning Coronavirus second wave panic as MPs warn UK not ready for new wave The charity added that for every patient who is diagnosed early there is a cash saving for the NHS of more than £5,500.
This means 20,000 sepsis patients could cost the NHS more than £1 billion in patient care and benefits.
Dr Daniels said: “These shocking data serve to remind us of the enormity of the threat of infectious disease to mankind.
“We urgently need all health professionals, as well as the general public, to be aware of the signs of sepsis and subsequently avoid adding to the magnitude of this issue.
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About 20,000 sepsis patients could cost the NHS more than £1 billion in patient care (Image: getty)
Unless the additional sepsis cases are diagnosed early, many patients could die (Image: getty) “Failing to do so will apply even greater pressure on the NHS as they face traditional winter pressures and potentially a second wave of Covid-19.
“The UK Sepsis Trust is therefore asking the Government to invest in the ‘Blurred Lines’ awareness campaign - £1 million investment could save hundreds of lives and £200 million in treatment and benefits further down the line.”
The charity’s campaign encourages people to ask “could it be sepsis?” to make sure the condition is at the forefront of the mind of the medic treating them.
Earlier this month, Christopher Lazar, a 44-year-old, suffered sepsis and multiple heart failure, renal failure, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism and lost four stone after contracting COVID-19.
The dad-of-six was given a 5% chance of survival when he spent eight weeks in hospital and five weeks in ICU on a ventilator.
For every patient who is diagnosed early there is a cash saving for the NHS of more than £5,500 (Image: getty) Related articles Coronavirus death toll is RISING in the south west and east of England Oldham lockdown: Is Oldham going into lockdown? He became so sick he had to be put into an induced coma.
But he miraculously survived.
Nick Hex, associate director for the NHS and public sector at the York Health Economics Consortium, said: “There is a substantial economic cost associated with sepsis, both in terms of direct costs to the health system and costs to the wider economy.
“Raising awareness of sepsis can lead to avoidance of some of these costs through earlier identification and treatment.”
So far in the UK there have been over 300,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 45,000 deaths related to coronavirus.
