Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Jul 25;5(3):456-478.
doi: 10.3390/epidemiologia5030032.

The Global Burden of Sepsis and Septic Shock

Affiliations
Review

The Global Burden of Sepsis and Septic Shock

Luigi La Via et al. Epidemiologia (Basel). .

Abstract

A dysregulated host response to infection causes organ dysfunction in sepsis and septic shock, two potentially fatal diseases. They continue to be major worldwide health burdens with high rates of morbidity and mortality despite advancements in medical care. The goal of this thorough review was to present a thorough summary of the current body of knowledge about the prevalence of sepsis and septic shock worldwide. Using widely used computerized databases, a comprehensive search of the literature was carried out, and relevant studies were chosen in accordance with predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. A narrative technique was used to synthesize the data that were retrieved. The review's conclusions show how widely different locations and nations differ in terms of sepsis and septic shock's incidence, prevalence, and fatality rates. Compared to high-income countries (HICs), low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are disproportionately burdened more heavily. We talk about risk factors, comorbidities, and difficulties in clinical management and diagnosis in a range of healthcare settings. The review highlights the need for more research, enhanced awareness, and context-specific interventions in order to successfully address the global burden of sepsis and septic shock.

Keywords: epidemiology; global burden; risk factors; sepsis; septic shock.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram describing pathogenetic mechanisms underlying sepsis and septic shock.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flow diagram of prevention policies and control of risk factors for sepsis and septic shock.

Similar articles

  • Sepsis Care Pathway 2019.
    Labib A. Labib A. Qatar Med J. 2019 Nov 7;2019(2):4. doi: 10.5339/qmj.2019.qccc.4. eCollection 2019. Qatar Med J. 2019. PMID: 31763206 Free PMC article.
  • Sepsis and Septic Shock in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.
    Stephen AH, Montoya RL, Aluisio AR. Stephen AH, et al. Surg Infect (Larchmt). 2020 Sep;21(7):571-578. doi: 10.1089/sur.2020.047. Epub 2020 May 13. Surg Infect (Larchmt). 2020. PMID: 32401160 Review.
  • Epidemiology of sepsis and septic shock.
    Chiu C, Legrand M. Chiu C, et al. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2021 Apr 1;34(2):71-76. doi: 10.1097/ACO.0000000000000958. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2021. PMID: 33492864 Review.
  • International Consensus Criteria for Pediatric Sepsis and Septic Shock.
    Schlapbach LJ, Watson RS, Sorce LR, Argent AC, Menon K, Hall MW, Akech S, Albers DJ, Alpern ER, Balamuth F, Bembea M, Biban P, Carrol ED, Chiotos K, Chisti MJ, DeWitt PE, Evans I, Flauzino de Oliveira C, Horvat CM, Inwald D, Ishimine P, Jaramillo-Bustamante JC, Levin M, Lodha R, Martin B, Nadel S, Nakagawa S, Peters MJ, Randolph AG, Ranjit S, Rebull MN, Russell S, Scott HF, de Souza DC, Tissieres P, Weiss SL, Wiens MO, Wynn JL, Kissoon N, Zimmerman JJ, Sanchez-Pinto LN, Bennett TD; Society of Critical Care Medicine Pediatric Sepsis Definition Task Force. Schlapbach LJ, et al. JAMA. 2024 Feb 27;331(8):665-674. doi: 10.1001/jama.2024.0179. JAMA. 2024. PMID: 38245889 Free PMC article.
  • The Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3).
    Singer M, Deutschman CS, Seymour CW, Shankar-Hari M, Annane D, Bauer M, Bellomo R, Bernard GR, Chiche JD, Coopersmith CM, Hotchkiss RS, Levy MM, Marshall JC, Martin GS, Opal SM, Rubenfeld GD, van der Poll T, Vincent JL, Angus DC. Singer M, et al. JAMA. 2016 Feb 23;315(8):801-10. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.0287. JAMA. 2016. PMID: 26903338 Free PMC article.

Cited by

References

    1. Singer M., Deutschman C.S., Seymour C.W., Shankar-Hari M., Annane D., Bauer M., Bellomo R., Bernard G.R., Chiche J.D., Coopersmith C.M., et al. The third international consensus definitions for sepsis and septic shock (Sepsis-3) JAMA. 2016;315:801–810. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.0287. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hotchkiss R.S., Moldawer L.L., Opal S.M., Reinhart K., Turnbull I.R., Vincent J.-L. Sepsis and septic shock. Nat. Rev. Dis. Primer. 2016;2:16045. doi: 10.1038/nrdp.2016.45. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Shankar-Hari M., Phillips G.S., Levy M.L., Seymour C.W., Liu V.X., Deutschman C.S., Angus D.C., Rubenfeld G.D., Singer M., Sepsis Definitions Task Force Developing a New Definition and Assessing New Clinical Criteria for Septic Shock: For the Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3) JAMA. 2016;315:775–787. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.0289. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Fleischmann C., Scherag A., Adhikari N.K., Hartog C.S., Tsaganos T., Schlattmann P., Angus D.C., Reinhart K., International Forum of Acute Care Trialists Assessment of Global Incidence and Mortality of Hospital-treated Sepsis. Current Estimates and Limitations. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2016;193:259–272. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201504-0781OC. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rudd K.E., Johnson S.C., Agesa K.M., Shackelford K.A., Tsoi D., Kievlan D.R., Colombara D.V., Ikuta K.S., Kissoon N., Finfer S., et al. Global, regional, and national sepsis incidence and mortality, 1990-2017: Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet. 2020;395:200–211. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)32989-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources