What does fever feel like with sepsis?

Sepsis is a serious response to an infection and can worsen quickly. Fever may occur with shaking chills, fast breathing, a racing heartbeat, severe weakness, clammy skin or confusion. Some people with sepsis have a low temperature instead of fever, so temperature alone is not a reliable safety check. The source may be in the lungs, urinary tract, skin, abdomen or elsewhere.

Treat suspected sepsis as an emergency. Call emergency services if fever or suspected infection is accompanied by confusion, severe breathlessness, faintness, mottled or clammy skin, very little urine, or a rapid decline. Do not drive yourself if you feel faint or confused. Note the infection symptoms, medicines, allergies and when the change began while help is arranged.

Seek emergency assessment for difficulty staying awake, new confusion, blue or grey lips, severe breathing trouble, collapse, cold clammy skin, a seizure or inability to keep fluids down. Urgency is based on the whole pattern and how quickly someone is deteriorating, not on a particular temperature reading. Children, older adults and people with weakened immunity may show less typical signs.

After urgent care, ask what infection is suspected, which symptoms require immediate return, and how to take prescribed medicines. Tell the team about recent procedures, wounds, urinary symptoms, cough, abdominal pain, immune conditions and medicines.