March 17, 2011

Symptoms & Treatments for Blood Poisoning

Posted in Category : General Health

For those who are keen on knowing what is blood poisoning, they should keep in mind that blood poisoning is basically a non scientific term that is used to describe the presence of any toxins in the blood. The term could also refer to a medical condition that may have come up on account of bacterial products or bacteria themselves entering into the blood stream. The actual medical term for blood poisoning is known as sepsis. Sepsis or blood poisoning is known to be a life threatening or fairly dangerous medical condition which is characterized by an extremely or high body temperature as well as an elevated heart rate. Some of the causes of bacteria include the entrance of bacteria into the bloodstream during a dental or a medical procedure, infections, wounds or even while being administered an injection. Some of the symptoms of blood poisoning in children as well as in adults are a sudden high fever, rapid heart rate, vomiting, nausea, appearing or even feeling unwell, chills and so on.

Treatment

The treatment for blood poisoning commences with the presence of the bacteria leading to blood poisoning through a blood culture. Once confirmed the individual will need to be hospitalized immediately. Some of the other causes of blood poisoning also include infection caused by the insertion of catheters in the urinary or the digestive tracts, treatment of open wounds or abscesses as well as during dental cleaning. Blood poisoning in such cases is caused by failure to ensure that proper hygiene is maintained in such procedures. Some of the other causes of blood poisoning are infection by bacteria such as pneumonia and bacterial meningitis. It is essential for the person suffering from blood poisoning or bacteremia to seek immediate medical attention as otherwise it could lead to sepsis which is a life threatening condition.

Another one of the causes of blood poisoning is known as Epiglottis which is a medical condition wherein the epiglottis swells up and shuts on account of which the windpipe is adversely affected. Similarly lead poisoning is also one of the causes of blood poisoning which is characterized by anemia, constipation, tiredness, loss of weight and so on. Some of the dangerous symptoms of blood poisoning which require immediate medical attention are dilation of the blood vessels and the dropping of one’s blood pressure to the point that the individual could suffer from rapid shock and even death. In fact symptoms of blood poisoning from insect bites ad from kidney infections are also known to be dangerous and should receive proper medical care. One of the preventive treatments for blood poisoning is to ensure that all health care professionals should wear gloves and disinfect their hands before performing any surgical procedures.

Similarly one should also keep in mind that blood poisoning can be treated by using antibiotics and also by cleaning the infected area well. Another one of the preventive treatments for blood poisoning is to always ensure that one’s skin and any wounds are clean and covered at all times. Many a times the symptoms of blood poisoning are observed in cases where in the infection has not been taken proper care of. Blood poisoning is known to be fatal especially if it leads to sepsis and hence proper care should be taken. The symptoms of blood poisoning on account of insect bites also include shivering, sudden rise or fall in the body temperature, chills, hallucinations or a feeling of confusion and so on. Similarly some of the symptoms of blood poisoning on account of a kidney infection include burning sensation while urinating, pain in the waist or the lower back and even fatigue.