Signs of bacteremia could be slight fever, nausea and distal infection. Rarely, bacteremia may resolve on its own. It also may progress into septicemia, a more serious blood infection that is always accompanied by symptoms such as chills, high fever, rapid heartbeat, severe nausea, vomiting and confusion.
Poisoning in the bloodstream
Although not an immediate consequence, dentists strongly advise that letting rotten teeth go unattended can lead to blood poisoning. This happens because the rot from the teeth keeps getting deposited into the mouth, and in most cases, it's swallowed along with saliva.
Early stages of tooth abscess may not feel any pain or swelling at first. As soon as your body sends the dead white blood cells to the infected area, you may start to experience any of the following symptoms: Pain around your ear, jaw, or neck. Pain when chewing, biting, or when you lie down.
About sepsis
a high temperature (fever) or low body temperature. a change in mental state – like confusion or disorientation. slurred speech. cold, clammy and pale or mottled skin.
Sepsis Diagnosis
Signs of infection on an X-ray, CT scan, or ultrasound. A high or low white blood cell count. A low number of platelets in your blood. Low blood pressure.
Living with blood poisoning
Many people fully recover from blood poisoning. However, blood poisoning is serious and can lead to sepsis. When you have sepsis, damage to major organs may be irreversible.
If the infection has spread or you have a generalized infection, you may develop other signs and symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, pain, etc. Sometimes however, you may have an infection and not know it, and not have any symptoms.
A person with sepsis might have one or more of the following signs or symptoms: High heart rate or weak pulse. Fever, shivering, or feeling very cold. Confusion or disorientation.
If left untreated, it can spread to your body, causing flu-like symptoms. Your dentist can treat your infected tooth through treatments such as draining the pus, tooth extraction, antibiotics, or a root canal. A tooth infection's symptoms include pain radiating to your jaw, ears, head, and lymph nodes.
Antibiotics alone won't treat sepsis; you also need fluids. The body needs extra fluids to help keep the blood pressure from dropping dangerously low, causing shock.
Tooth decay does more damage than simply breaking down your teeth. It can lead to infections that can spread to the other parts of the body, it can increase your risk of heart disease and it can weaken your immune system.
If a cavity is not drilled and filled in an early stage, bacteria can enter the pulp of the tooth, leading to infection and pain. This abscess, or collection of pus, can spread into the bone, making your whole body ill. Symptoms of decay include tooth sensitivity, pain when you bite or chew and dark spots on teeth.
Severe breathlessness or sleepiness. It feels like you're going to die or pass out. Skin mottled or discoloured. An extremely high or a very low temperature; repeated vomiting; seizures; and a rash which doesn't fade when you press a glass against it are also possible 'red flags'.
However, there might be other symptoms related to sepsis based on where the infection is. Abdominal pain is one such symptom.
Stage one: Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS)
Sepsis can be hard to identify, but is typically denoted by a very high or low body temperature, high heart rate, high respiratory rate, high or low white blood cell count and a known or suspected infection.
"When an infection reaches a certain point, this can happen in a matter of hours." Sepsis usually starts out as an infection in just one part of the body, such as a skin wound or a urinary tract infection, Tracey says.
The condition can arise suddenly and progress quickly, and it's often hard to recognize. Sepsis was once commonly known as “blood poisoning.” It was almost always deadly. Today, even with early treatment, sepsis kills about 1 in 5 affected people.
Blood poisoning refers to sepsis, a condition in which an infection leads to a life-threatening inflammatory response. Symptoms include fever, high heart rate, low blood pressure, and confusion. Depending on the source of infection, diarrhea, cough, urinary symptoms, or skin infection may be present.
The three stages of sepsis are: sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock. When your immune system goes into overdrive in response to an infection, sepsis may develop as a result.
This severe disease can develop within a matter of a few hours. According to estimates, 15,000 people in Switzerland fall ill with blood poisoning every year, with just under a third of patients dying of the consequences, despite treatment.