Who is at risk?

"Although everyone from an infant to an adult is at potential risk of developing sepsis from common infections (eg, flu, urinary tract infections, gastroenteritis, etc.), sepsis is most likely to develop in people who:

• Are very young (eg, premature babies) or very old
• Have a weakened ("compromised") immune system, often because of treatments such as chemotherapy for cancer, steroids (eg, cortisone) for inflammatory conditions, etc.
• Have wounds or injuries, such as those from burns, a car crash, or a bullet
• Have certain addictive habits, such as alcohol or drugs
• Are receiving certain treatments or examinations (eg, intravenous catheters[a small tube for dripping fluids into the vein], wound drainage, urinary catheters [a small tube inserted into the bladder]
• Are more prone to develop sepsis than others because of genetic factors (or their "genes")

Patients who are admitted to the hospital with serious diseases are at the highest risk
of developing sepsis because of:

• Their underlying disease
• Their previous use of antibiotics
• The presence of drug-resistant bacteria in the hospital
• The fact that they often require an intravenous tube, urinary catheter, or wound drainage

The infection leading to sepsis can be acquired outside the hospital (known as "community-acquired") or in the hospital (known as "nosocomial"). Hospital-acquired infections are generally more difficult to manage than those acquired in the community, because:

• The infecting microorganism is more dangerous to the patient
• The patient is often already sick
• The microorganism may be resistant to common treatments
  due to the widespread use of antibiotics in hospitals"

- Surviving Sepsis Campaign, 2008