Sepsis is a very serious and sometimes deathly illness in which the bloodstream is overwhelmed by bacteria. This bacterial disease may be found in many places throughout the body, but usually starts in places like the bowel, the kidneys, the lining of the brain, the liver, the gall bladder, the lungs, and the skin. Symptoms of Sepsis are fever, chill and severe shaking, excessive breathing and heart rate amongst others.

Sometimes Sepsis can be caused by a urinary tract infection. This type of sepsis is urosepsis. This condition involves a buildup of bacteria or toxins in the blood of the urinary tract. This will lead to poisoning of the blood, and can bring on severe health problems like damage of organs, which may even lead to death. Urosepsis has many symptoms some visible others only felt by the infected. These include but are not limited to chills, fever, blood in urine, painful urination and excessive urination. In most cases, antibiotics treat urosepsis.

Septic Shock is a serious condition that occurs when an infection leads to life-threatening low blood pressure. There are many risks for septic shock which include: Diabetes, AIDS, Leukemia, Lymphoma along with other factors. The primary treatment in a person with sepsis is the administration of antibiotics. Some antibiotic therapy has been shown to reduce a person's risk of dying from sepsis by around 50%. Studies have shown that older persons often fail to get sufficient nutrition while they are in the hospital. This may turn into malnutrition, which stresses the immune system and can worsen the effects of sepsis.

The number of cases of sepsis in the United States per year is estimated at over 700,000. It is expected to increase at a rate of about 1.5% per year, while a large and significant portion of these patients will be elderly.