There’s a lot of reasons to love Call The Midwife. More frivolously, its festive special pretty much makes our Christmas and those swinging Sixties inspired outfits make our hearts sing.

It’s also one of the only BBC dramas to have a female lead script writer, has a supremely talented predominantly female cast and thanks to its medically-focused story lines, can be rather educational.

For example, a recent episode which saw the show’s sweetheart, Nurse Barbara Hereward (Charlotte Ritchie), rushed to hospital with septicaemia had us all wondering why we don’t know more about this disease, which affects a whopping 260,000 people in the UK every year.

After watching our beloved Barbara taken ill, and realising that this disease is still pretty prevalent today, we’ve taken a look into what is septicaemia and what causes it, and the signs and symptoms of septicaemia in adults.

Read on to become more informed about the condition which unfortunately hasn’t been left back in the Sixties but still affects adults and children in the UK (and all over the world) today.

What is septicaemia?

Septicaemia, or sepsis as it is also called, is another term for blood poisoning. It describes what happens when a lot of bad bacteria gets into the bloodstream, causes an infection in the blood which in turn, poisons the body.

Septicaemia is a serious condition which can progress quickly and is in some cases, potentially life-threatening.

What causes septicaemia?

Our blood contains millions of white blood cells that help us fight off infection. When we cut ourselves, for example, our white blood cells will fight any bacteria that tries to enter our body through the wound. If the wound does become infected, our white blood cells will destroy the infection and heal the wound, keeping us healthy.

But sometimes infections overpower these blood cells, either because the bacteria is particularly strong or because the person’s immune system is weak. Once the bacteria has entered the body, it can contaminate the bloodstream and can be carried to other tissues and organs in the body causing other complications.

Septicaemia can start after a wound or burn, but it can also develop as a result of a serious illness or internal infection.

You could be more likely to get sepsis if you:

have recently had surgery
had a urinary catheter fitted
have been in hospital for a long time

If you have suffered from one of the following infections, you could also be at risk of sepsis:

lung infection (pneumonia)
appendicitis
an infection of the thin layer of tissue that lines the inside of the abdomen (peritonitis)
an infection of the bladder, urethra or kidneys (urinary tract infection)
an infection of the gallbladder (cholecystitis) or bile ducts (cholangitis)
skin infections, such as cellulitis – this can be caused by an intravenous catheter that’s been inserted through the skin to give fluids or medication
infections after surgery
infections of the brain and nervous system – such as meningitis or encephalitis
flu (in some cases)
bone infection (osteomyelitis)
heart infection (endocarditis)

Signs and symptoms of septicaemia blood poisoning