Carol Vorderman health: The star’s illness that kills someone every 2.8 seconds – symptoms

Carol Vorderman gets emotional as she discusses her brother

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Carol, 60, has recently opened up about not only her health issues but her brother Anton’s. In an emotional Instagram video she praised her older sibling for overcoming his bullies in order to help others born with the same condition. Anton was born with severe cleft lip and palate which saw him have 24 operations to his face over the years. Along with her brother’s insecurities, Carol also suffered healthwise leading to hospitalisation.

Explaining the situation in a blog post, the presenter said that after experiencing “excruciating” gallbladder pain – and not being able to remedy it with the usual methods she used – she knew something was severely wrong.

She said: “I felt as though I was slipping away somehow and asked my family to get me to hospital. They did. I think it was by ambulance but I was slipping in and out of consciousness by that time.”

It was thanks to her surgeon Dr David Nott who then recognised that the symptoms the star was suffering was due to sepsis.

After some heavy antibiotics, and a four to five-hour operation the star was left in a stable condition, but the surgeon revealed later that her organs were beginning to close down and she was about six hours from death.

Sepsis is a fatal condition that occurs as a reaction to an infection. It happens when your immune system overreacts to the said infection and starts to damage your body’s own tissues and organs.

The term “blood poisoning” is used instead of sepsis on occasion, and the symptoms of the condition can be extremely hard to notice, as was the case with Carol who dealt with her gallbladder pain for several years before being diagnosed with sepsis.

The star added: “Sepsis strikes fast, VERY fast, but it is curable if it’s recognised. It took nearly a week before Dr Nott was able to operate on my gallbladder.”

According to NHS guidelines symptoms differ within children and adults, but it is crucial to call 999 if you do spot any of the following symptoms.

In a child:

• 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 (you may notice grunting noises or their stomach sucking under their ribcage), breathlessness or breathing very fast
• 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.

In an adult:

• 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.

In severe cases sepsis can cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure, known to doctors as septic shock. This can very quickly lead to organ failure and is most likely to be the factor that causes death.

September 13 is World Sepsis Day, a day which aims to create awareness and educate people on the importance of knowing the signs of sepsis and trying to create a permanent cure.

According to the organisation World Sepsis Day, every 2.8 seconds someone dies of the condition. A major factor in preventing this is to notice the symptoms early.

Sepsis Alliance recommend following this acronym in order to save lives:
Temperature – Is it higher or lower than normal?
Infection – Do they have any signs and symptoms of infection?
Mental decline – Are they sleepy, confused or difficult to rouse?
Extremely ill – Are they suffering with severe pain, discomfort or shortness of breath?

The disease can affect anyone, but can be more common in those who are already battling other immune weakening conditions such as HIV or cancer. Also if individuals are pregnant, extremely young or extremely old, have diabetes or use catheters, the risk of sepsis is increased.

Treating sepsis

Within an hour of arriving at hospital the individual should receive some form of antibiotics in order to avoid septic shock.

Depending on symptoms, the individual may also need further treatment in an intensive care unit, help from a ventilator or surgery to remove infected areas.

Recovery from the condition takes time, and the risk of relapse and developing the condition again is never zero.

Individuals can also suffer from long-term effects known as post-sepsis syndrome. Symptoms including a lack of appetite, getting ill more often, changes in mood, PTSD and feeling weak and tired could all point to post-sepsis syndrome.

In order to prevent developing sepsis WebMD recommends the following steps:

1. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds each time.
2. Keep up with recommended vaccines for things like flu and chickenpox.
3. Keep control of any chronic health conditions.
4. If you have an injury that’s broken your skin, clean it as soon as possible. Keep it clean and covered as it heals, and watch for signs of infection.
5. Treat any infections. Get medical care right away if they don’t get better or if they seem like they’re getting worse.

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