Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway has been discussing her husband, Derek Draper's, return to hospital with what she claims is "life-threatening" sepsis.
The 54-year-old former political adviser was diagnosed with coronavirus right at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. He has suffered some long-term damage as a result of the virus, and his health has been in slow decline ever since, leading Kate to taking long breaks from her job as GMB host to take care of him, the Daily Record reports.
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Derek has now been diagnosed with sepsis by accident and emergency doctors, with the source of infection beginning at his kidneys, it has been reported. Questions have arisen as to how this condition begins and develops, and how we can identify it as early as possible for treatment.
Thankfully, Derek's case was caught early enough and the prognosis is positive. Garraway told GMB viewers earlier: "He’s still in hospital, not in intensive care, waiting for another procedure, looking really good.
“So fingers crossed on everything and particularly one kidney looking really good, just need to look at the other one, and so yeah, he’s still in (a) high dependency (unit).”
So, what do we need to know about sepsis? All the information is down below.
What is sepsis?
Sepsis is a condition that occurs when the body overreacts to an infection, and begins to damage itself, specifically in the tissue and organs. It can be fatal, and is extremely difficult to spot due to the sheer vagueness of the symptoms, which are similar to the general flu or chest infection, according to the NHS.
It cannot be transmitted person to person, and is also known as septicaemia or blood poisoning.
How is sepsis treated?
The treatment for septicaemia varies heavily depending on severity, where in the body is affected, and the extent of damage across the body. Intensive care may even be needed in the case that a persons respiratory system is badly impacted by sepsis.
Treatments include:
- Antibiotics or antiviral medication (if sepsis has been caused by a virus)
- Intravenous fluids are used to prevent dehydration or kidney failure
- Oxygen
- Mechanical ventilation is also used if breathing is impeded
- Dialysis is used if kidneys are badly affected
In most cases it leads to full recovery with no lasting problems, according to NHS Inform Scotland.
The symptoms of sepsis
The NHS says the following symptoms in an adult or child are an indication that 999 should be rung or the person rushed to A&E:
- acting confused, slurred speech or not making sense
- blue, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue
- a rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it, the same as meningitis
- difficulty breathing, breathlessness or breathing very fast
These are the extra symptoms to watch out for in babies and young children:
- a weak, high-pitched cry that's not like their normal cry
- not responding like they normally do, or not interested in feeding or normal activities
- being sleepier than normal or difficult to wake
For more information on how to spot sepsis, visit the NHS Inform Scotland website here.
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