How a urinary tract infection can enter the bloodstream and cause sepsis

O Former US President Bill Clinton, 75, was admitted to the University of California Medical Center Irvine with a urinary tract infection that has spread to the bloodstream. According to the head of the medical team who treated him, Clinton was discharged yesterday (Sunday, October 17).

This type of infection occurs when bacteria present in the bladder or kidneys, which normally form in urine, reach the bloodstream, explains an article published by CNN Brasil.

In these cases, the patient usually suffers from bacteremia when bacteria enter the bloodstream. This type of infection can be asymptomatic or cause fever, chills, a sharp drop in blood pressure, and tremors.

Read also: Bill Clinton has already been discharged from the hospital and is expected to return to New York.

What’s more, when bacteria spread massively through the bloodstream and reach other organs, they can cause sepsis, a generalized infection that carries a high risk of dying from multiple organ failure.

By the time the infection reaches the bloodstream, urologist Francisco Leau of Israel’s Albert Einstein Hospital in Brazil said in a statement to CNN, by the time the infection reaches the bloodstream, it can already be classified as sepsis and require immediate treatment.

“Sepsis is a condition full of symptoms; the patient has confusion, drop in blood pressure, heart palpitations, fever, decreased urine volume, loss of appetite and deterioration in physical condition, ”the doctor explained.

We add: “the condition requires urgent hospitalization in the intensive care unit and the need for drugs to maintain blood pressure, in addition to heavy intravenous antibiotics to rescue the detected critical condition.”

Infections other than the urinary tract can lead to sepsis if the infection spreads through the blood, according to infectious disease specialist Raquel Muarrec of Rede D’or.

“It can be an infection of the skin, lungs, abdominal cavity, urine. Any infection in the body can lead to sepsis, which is an inflammatory action with multisystem criteria that can cause septic shock and possible death, ”he said.

According to the Global Sepsis Alliance, between 47 and 50 million people worldwide suffer from sepsis every year and at least 11 million die. Which is equivalent to one death for every 2.8 seconds on the planet.

Read also: Doctors warn sepsis will be more deadly than cancer and stroke