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Our immune system can be our best friend, or our mortal enemy, as a new study has revealed.
Most people suffering from severe Covid-19 develop sepsis, when the immune system goes into overdrive, damaging organs and tissues. Sepsis is the major cause of death from infection, killing up to 25 percent of sufferers.
It can also have longterm and devastating effects for its survivors, as a new study has discovered. Three in four sepsis survivors will suffer memory problems and heart issues, and more than half of those under the age of 40 suffer post-sepsis complications.
Analysing the history of nearly 160,000 sepsis sufferers who needed hospital care, researchers from Jena University Hospital discovered the disease can have longterm effects for sufferers and carers. Common effects include cardiovascular disorders, cognitive and motor impairment, fatigue and depression.
Around 30 percent of survivors died within a year after leaving hospital, and three-quarters reported a new health problem.
More than 30 percent needed nursing care in the year after leaving hospital and 13 percent had to stay in a residential care unit.
(Source: JAMA Network Open, 2021; 4: e2134290; doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.34290)
