Bacteremia: symptoms, causes and treatment

Bacteremia is a medical term that describes the presence of bacteria in the blood. Although often confused with sepsis, the two conditions are different. Unlike sepsis, bacteremia is usually treatable and temporary. For more details, see the following explanation.

Definition of bacteremia

As already mentioned, bacteremia is a condition when bacteria live in the blood. This condition is common in everyday life, especially when you are undergoing oral hygiene treatments or after undergoing minor medical procedures.

In healthy people, this infection is temporary and does not cause further symptoms. However, when your immune system is weakened, your body may become overwhelmed by this condition.

When the body is unable to fight back, bacteremia can develop into many forms of septicemia (blood poisoning caused by bacteria). Conditions that may arise later include sepsis and septic shock which can be life threatening.

Symptoms of bacteremia

The main symptom that arises from this condition is fever. In addition, you may also be shivering, with or without trembling.

You need to contact your doctor if you experience symptoms of bacteremia and have recently had a medical or oral procedure, such as removing a tooth or being hospitalized.

Bacteremia that has progressed to septicemia will usually cause symptoms, such as:

• Hypotension
• Mentally disturbed
• Little urine fluid when urinating

When the infection spreads, other organs can become irritated and cause acute respiratory distress syndrome (acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)) and acute kidney injury (acute kidney injury (AKI)).

Causes of bacteremia

Quoted from articles published in National Center for Biotechnology Information, bacteria Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus are the two most common bacteria that cause bacteremia. Some infectious conditions that can cause bacteremia include:

• Lung infection
• Urinary tract infection
• Tooth infection
• Soft tissue infection, but less common

There are factors that can increase your risk of developing bacteremia. One of them is the age above 60 years (elderly). The elderly group is more at risk of experiencing this condition because they usually suffer from various comorbidities (comorbid).

In addition, the following conditions may make you more susceptible to this condition:

• Experiencing damage to the surface of the skin due to an injury, such as a burn
• Long-term use of medical devices, such as a catheter or endotracheal tube (a breath aid that is inserted into the throat through the mouth or nose
• After undergoing surgical treatment, such as removing fluid from injured body tissue
• Experiencing a decrease in the immune system because of losing a lot of blood
• Perform dental or oral hygiene or surgery procedures
• Undergo dialysis

Diagnosis of bacteria in the blood

In determining a diagnosis of bacteremia, the doctor will start by asking for your medical history and examining your physical condition. The doctor will then ask you to do a blood test. The Mayo Clinic says that this condition can be confirmed by a blood test procedure.

In addition, depending on your condition, your doctor may perform additional examinations. The tests below can be performed to find the source of infection or the presence of infection in a particular organ.

• Chest X-ray to find the presence of infections in organs, such as the lungs and bones
• CT scan to assess for abscesses or lumps that appear after the surgical procedure
• Urine culture to determine the source of infection
• Wound culture to determine what infection occurred after surgery
• Sputum (sputum) culture for patients with lung disease

For dialysis patients, the tube or catheter used during the dialysis process will be removed. The scars will then be cultured and examined in a laboratory to see if bacteria are present in the blood.

Bacteremia treatment

Bacteremia can be treated by administering antibiotics via intravenous lines or infusion in the hospital. Giving this drug must be done immediately. Without proper treatment, bacteremia can spread to other areas, such as heart valves or other tissues.

Untreated bacteremia can progress to severe sepsis and septic shock. These two conditions can be life threatening.

Antibiotics are given based on your condition, such as:

• The origin you got the infection
• The last health care you will ever get
• Your recent surgical procedure
• Are you resistant to antibiotics

The duration of bacteremia treatment is uncertain. However, in most cases, treatment lasts for 7-14 days in a parenteral (injected) manner.

Medicines that are given orally (taken by mouth) may be recommended if the patient has not had a fever for at least 48 hours and has a stable health condition.

Bacterial complications in the blood

If not treated properly or not at all, bacteremia may lead to complications, such as:

• Meningitis
• Endocarditis
• Osteomyelitis
• Sepsis
• Cellulitis
• Peritonitis

The various diseases above may require intensive care in the hospital. In addition, the most fatal complication of this condition is death.

Prevention of bacteremia

You can reduce your risk of getting bacteremia by doing the following ways:

• Take care of cuts or scrapes on your skin, so they don't get infected. Make sure the wound is clean by applying an antiseptic to the wound.
• Get the pneumonia and flu vaccines.
• Immediately to the doctor if you experience toothache. As already mentioned, this condition often occurs after dental and oral medical procedures.

Bacteremia can be treated if detected early. Therefore, you need to contact your doctor if you experience any worrisome symptoms.