Table of contents:
- SIRS occurs when there is inflammation
- Meanwhile, sepsis is blood poisoning due to infection
- So, what is the difference between SIRS and sepsis?
- 1. SIRS does not always result from infection
- 2. Symptoms of sepsis can be more severe
Better, do not underestimate any infection and treat it promptly. The reason is, even a trivial infection can turn into a dangerous thing. One of the problems that arise when you have an infection that doesn't go away is sepsis and Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). SIRS and sepsis are serious and life threatening problems.
Although both dangerous and similar in symptoms, SIRS and sepsis have quite a lot of differences. In order not to be exposed to both, you should know what SIRS and sepsis are, and their differences.
SIRS occurs when there is inflammation
Systemic inflammatory response syndrome or systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is the body's response when inflammation occurs. In short, SIRS is only limited to signs and symptoms that appear after the body is attacked by a disease.
Apart from inflammation, this condition can also be caused by infection, trauma, or ischemia in the blood vessels. The combination of these factors can also cause SIRS in the body. A person is declared to have SIRS if they experience several symptoms such as:
- Fever exceeding 38 degrees Celsius
- Heart rate more than 90 beats per minute
- Respiratory rate of more than 20 breaths per minute
- Abnormal white blood cell count
Meanwhile, sepsis is blood poisoning due to infection
Slightly different from SIRS, sepsis is a condition that occurs when the body overworks itself against an infection. Yes, in this case the immune system is too active and it actually creates a new problem, namely blood poisoning.
When the body experiences inflammation, the immune system will release antibodies. Well, unfortunately these antibodies are produced too much and enter the blood vessels, eventually causing blood poisoning. This condition causes blood vessels to narrow and blood flow is not smooth.
Narrowing of the blood vessels causes the body's organs to get no supply of food and oxygen. If allowed, the organs will be damaged and even the tissue in them dies. This condition is known as septic shock.
Sepsis can be recognized immediately when the body shows several signs and symptoms that resemble SIRS, namely a high fever above 38 degrees Celsius, a heart rate above 90 beats per minute, and a respiratory rate above 20 breaths in one minute.
So, what is the difference between SIRS and sepsis?
Actually, SIRS and sepsis are two conditions that are related to each other, because usually sepsis occurs as a result of SIRS. However, it is rather difficult to tell the difference in symptoms. Well, some differences that you should know about these two conditions, namely:
1. SIRS does not always result from infection
As previously explained, sepsis occurs when an infection occurs and it stimulates too many antibodies to be produced. Meanwhile, systemic inflammatory response syndrome or SIRS is not only due to infection, but also inflammation and trauma to the body.
In essence, SIRS is a response to problems in the body that can occur as a result of anything, not only infection. Can be
2. Symptoms of sepsis can be more severe
Because sepsis generally develops more severely than SIRS, the symptoms it causes can be different. Symptoms of sepsis can turn into septic shock after it has developed more severely, with signs such as a drop in blood pressure, cold extremities, a weak pulse, and so on.
The process of septic shock occurs due to decreased flow of blood and oxygen to the organs of the body due to dilated blood vessels (vasodilation).
