10 Common Signs And Symptoms That You May Have A Blood Infection

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Family Doctor

A blood infection is often believed to be sepsis, but actually the proper term to use is septicemia. Although septicemia is often interchanged with sepsis, they aren’t exactly the same thing. While septicemia is considered to be a very serious bloodstream infection, sepsis is actually a grave or severe complication of septicemia.

Septicemia, or a blood infection, occurs when a bacterial infection enters the bloodstream from somewhere else in the body. The usual suspects are from the skin, kidneys, bladder and lungs. The reason why this is a serious condition is because the toxins formed by the bacteria are often carried through the veins via the bloodstream all over the entire body. More often than not, it needs to be treated in the hospital and when left unnoticed or unaddressed, it can progress into sepsis, which is life-threatening.

It’s also important to note that the symptoms of septicemia begin suddenly, and progress quite quickly as well.

Here are 10 signs that you may have a blood infection.

1. High Fever

When someone has a fever, it’s an indication that the body is battling an infection by raising its normal body temperature to kill off whatever bacteria or virus it is fighting. A fever is considered as having a temperature of 100.4°F, or 38°C, and above, and most patients will complain of feeling warm or who are warm to the touch. When it comes to a blood infection, fevers tend to be high and persistent, and they should never be taken for granted, especially when they are accompanied by other signs or symptoms of sickness.