Post-Sepsis Syndrome

Post-sepsis syndrome is a term used to describe the group of long-term effects that some people with sepsis experience.

There are three main group of symptoms that relate to:

1. Muscle weakness and limb damage

2. Brain inflammation

3. Trauma and distress

Muscle Weakness

• Disabling muscle or joint pain

• Reduced ability to exercise

• Amputations (loss of an arm or leg)

Brain inflammation

• Difficulty sleeping – either difficulty in getting to sleep or staying asleep

• Hallucinations/seeing things that aren’t there

• Difficulty concentrating

• Decreased cognitive (mental) functioning (memory, decision-making etc.)

Trauma and distress

• Panic attacks and/or flashbacks

• Loss of self-esteem and self-belief

• Depression

PSS affects around half of all sepsis survivors and the risk of PSS is higher in people who require a stay in ICU and for people who have been in hospital for a long time.