WHEN Loose Women star Andrea McLean announced last month she’d been hospitalised with sepsis, she became one of 245,000 cases in the UK every year.
The 55-year-old joined fellow celebrities including Lily Allen, Carol Vorderman and Amy Dowden who have also had the blood poisoning condition which kills more than 48,000 people annually in Britain.
Andrea revealed she collapsed in the bathroom, laying there for an hour before her husband Nick Feeney found her and called an ambulance.
“My blood pressure was so low I couldn’t stand, and I was in a lot of pain,” she said.
“To be honest, I was barely aware of what was happening, other than trying to be helpful.
“I can’t remember much about A&E other than it was thorough.
“I had severe pneumonia, acute kidney injury and sepsis.
“Things happened quickly; drips, super-strong antibiotics via IV and orally, and I was transferred to the emergency assessment ward.”
While Andrea was in hospital for two days and two nights battling the potentially deadly condition, Dr Ron Daniels, founder and CEO of the UK Sepsis Trust, says she’s fortunate to be alive.
“Sepsis is a life-threatening condition arising when the body’s response to infection causes organ damage,” he says.
“It can lead to multi organ failure and death and for the majority of people, it develops anywhere between 24 and 72 hours.
“While 48,000 people die from it every single year, not enough is known about it.
“For context, about 34,000 people die of stroke every year – so it kills more people than stroke, and about 200,000 people get heart attacks annually, so it’s more common as a reason for admission to hospital than heart attacks.”
While symptoms include slurred speech, breathlessness, a temperature, and shivering, sepsis also kills more people annually in the UK than breast, bowel and lung cancer combined, yet around a quarter of deaths are preventable with early diagnosis and treatment like Andrea received.
Last month, she said she’d been left with long-term issues.
“It’s now February, and I’m still not well enough to handle normal stuff like getting up and rushing out the door to do the jobs I’d been booked to do, because every part of that process would end with me falling down, or at the very least sitting on a tube station floor feeling very unwell and embarrassed at the stares,” she said.
“I’m still having ‘funny turns’ while out for a walk, or attempting the mildest of exercise. It means I haven’t really started 2025 yet.”
Dr Ron says the after effects from sepsis can last months or even years, with sufferers – like Andrea – unable to resume the lives and jobs they had before being diagnosed.
“People that survive sepsis often have life-changing effects,” he says.
“Physically people can feel debilitated for a while and cognitively there can be brain fog but also post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – which can be brought on by the trauma of facing mortality.
“But we also know sepsis causes the death of neurons in the brain which could account for the psychological issues too.”
If something doesn’t feel right, call 111, or make an appointment to see your GP and just ask, ‘Could it be sepsis?’ Your life or the life of your loved one could depend on it
Dr Helen Wall
The condition costs the NHS between £1.5 and £2billion a year – one per cent of its entire budget.
But it also costs the UK economy around £11billion a year and it’s the leading cause of maternal death in the UK.
GP Dr Helen Wall says more needs to be done to educate people on the signs of the condition.
“Sepsis starts with an infection – bacterial, viral, or fungal – anywhere in the body,” she says.
“Common infection sites and infection examples include pneumonia, urinary tract infections, kidney infections, appendicitis, peritonitis, and skin and soft tissue wounds.
“All of these infections are very common and don’t cause sepsis in everyone, but in sepsis, the immune system overreacts damaging blood vessels and making them leaky.
“The resultant bleeding and poor blood flow reduces blood pressure and the amount of oxygen getting to vital organs like the kidneys and brain.”
While the condition can affect anyone, Dr Ron says those at either end of the age spectrum can be most at risk.
And when it comes to someone you love, trust your gut instinct.
“Anyone can get sepsis at any time, but at particular risk are those at the extremes of age – like older adults and very young children,” he says.
“You can’t vaccinate against every cause of sepsis, because it can be caused by any bug, but we do know it affects the whole of the animal kingdom from mammals to molluscs.
“People often don’t know when to get medical help for themselves or their loved ones, but my advice would be to trust your instincts.
“You’ve seen your loved ones with an infection before. If something doesn’t feel right, particularly if they get worse rather than better, call 111, or make an appointment to see your GP and just ask, ‘Could it be sepsis?’
“Your life or the life of your loved one could depend on it.”
Sepsis – the worrying statistics
- There are at least 245,000 sepsis cases in the UK annually, with around 48,000 deaths (that’s five every hour)
- There are almost 50million cases of sepsis globally every year, resulting in 11million deaths
- As many as 40 per cent of cases are in children under the age of five
- One in five deaths globally is associated with sepsis
- Sepsis is the number one cause of death in hospitals
- It is also the most common reason for hospital admission
- Around 40 per cent of survivors have one or more cognitive, psychological or physical after effect
- Sepsis kills more people than breast (11,400), bowel (16,300) and prostate cancer (11,700) combined (39,400) in the UK
Dr Helen adds: “Early recognition and management is key to survival.
“Symptoms can worsen rapidly, so seek urgent medical help if you notice the following:
In adults, remember the SEPSIS acronym:
- Slurred speech or confusion
- Extreme shivering or muscle pain
- Passing no urine (in a day)
- Severe breathlessness
- It feels like you’re going to die
- Skin mottled, discoloured, or cold
Other signs include:
- High or very low body temperature
- Rapid heart rate
- Low blood pressure
- Rapid breathing
In children, look out for:
- Fast breathing
- Lethargy or difficulty waking up
- Mottled, pale, or bluish skin
- Very cold hands and feet
- Seizures
- A rash that doesn’t fade when pressed ,which is a sign of meningococcal sepsis
- Babies not feeding or vomiting
‘My dad woke up almost comatose and died weeks later’
John Roberts, from Taunton, Somerset, was 85 when he died in June 2018 from sepsis.
His daughter Gayle, 55, from Plymouth, says: “Dad had leukaemia but was being successfully treated for it.
“He was very fit and active – he walked loads and did lots of gardening too.
“One morning on a Sunday in April 2018 though, he woke up really poorly – almost comatose.
“We called an ambulance and he was admitted to hospital.
“After a few tests, they told us that he had sepsis. I didn’t even know what sepsis was at that point. I’d never even heard of it.”
He was successfully treated with antibiotics and sent home, but over the next eight weeks he was admitted back into hospital three times with sepsis again.
“His final admission was in June and after a couple of days, the consultants told us there was nothing else they could do for him and he had around 24 hours left to live,” Gayle says.
It’s always better to be safe than sorry so if you’re unwell or wake up really poorly, please seek help
Gayle
“I was utterly devastated and in complete shock.
“I stayed with him while they withdrew all his treatment and he passed away peacefully the next day at lunchtime.
“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t miss him and think about him.
“He was so fit and well and healthy and he was doing so well with his leukaemia treatment.
“I learned everything I could about sepsis after I lost him.
“I give money every month to the Sepsis Trust and I speak about it as often as I can.
“Dad hadn’t been unwell before we called him an ambulance but I’d advise people not to be fobbed off by medical professionals or think they’ll get better with a couple of paracetamol.
“It’s always better to be safe than sorry so if you’re unwell or wake up really poorly, please seek help.”
Amy Dowden
Amy Dowden developed sepsis while being treated for breast cancer[/caption]
Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden developed sepsis while undergoing treatment for breast cancer in August 2023.
Two days after chemotherapy, the 34-year-old fell ill at her parents’ home.
She was rushed to hospital into intensive care and diagnosed with sepsis.
She said she was “very unlucky” to be diagnosed, adding: “The doctors and nurses were telling me I had sepsis and that it was life-threatening.”
Lily Allen
Lily Allen was treated for sepsis after having a miscarriage in 2010[/caption]
The singer was 25 and with Sam Cooper at the time[/caption]
After losing her baby with ex-husband Sam Cooper in 2010 when she was just 25, Smile singer Lily Allen was diagnosed with sepsis.
Rushed to hospital, the singer’s publicist confirmed the condition.
Lily tweeted: “I’m still very sick but the messages are helping me to be stronger. Thank you.”
Carol Vorderman
Sepsis nearly killed TV presenter Carol Vorderman in 2004[/caption]
Sepsis nearly killed TV presenter Carol Vorderman in 2004.
Suffering with gallstones at the time, the 64-year-old was rushed into emergency surgery and was hours from death when she was treated.
“I had no idea at the time just how ill I was,” she said.
“The surgeon doesn’t say to a patient, ‘You were five hours from dying’.
“But that’s what he told me later at the checkup. And that was a bit of a shock.”
Rebecca Adlington
She also suffered a kidney infection and a fever[/caption]
Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington was treated for sepsis, as well as kidney infection, after a miscarriage in 2022.
The then-33-year-old needed emergency surgery after discovering the loss of her pregnancy at her 12-week scan.
Sharing a photograph from hospital while holding a cup of tea, gold medallist Rebecca wrote: “On Tuesday me and Andy went to hospital for our 12-week scan only to discover we’ve had a miscarriage which resulted in emergency surgery.
“I managed to leave hospital Thursday only to be readmitted Friday.
“After a day of treating sepsis, a kidney infection and a fever, I’m slowly on the mend. Long way to go but I’m in the right place.
“I can’t thank the hospitals and the staff enough, been so supportive.
“It’s such a devastating time but important in times like these we remember we aren’t alone and have so much support.”
