Sepsis Awareness

Sepsis is the body’s overwhelming and life-threatening response to infection, which can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. ©2022 Sepsis Alliance

While sepsis can impact anyone, including the sick, the well, and people of all ages, some groups are more likely to be affected. These include very young children, older adults, and those with a
weakened immune system.

Did You Know?

Sepsis is the leading cause of death in U.S. hospitals.
Sepsis affects an estimate 49 million people worldwide each year.
An estimated 35% of U.S. adults have never heard of sepsis.

Key Sepsis Facts

Sepsis is a public health crisis. Help educate the people in your life on the
devastating impact of sepsis using the facts below.

• More than 1.7 million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with sepsis each
• year.
• In the United States, sepsis takes a life every two minutes.
• 350,000 adults die from sepsis every year in the U.S. This is more than
• opioid overdoses, breast cancer, and prostate cancer combined.
• Sepsis is the leading cause of death in U.S. hospitals.
• More than 75,000 children develop severe sepsis each year in the U.S.
• and 6,800 of these children die, more than from pediatric cancers.
• Sepsis is the number one cause of hospital readmissions, costing more
• than $3.5 billion each year.
• Sepsis is the #1 cost of hospitalization in the U.S. Costs for acute sepsis
• hospitalization and skilled nursing are estimated to be $62 billion
• annually.
• Black individuals bear nearly twice the burden of sepsis deaths, relative
• to the size of the Black population, as compared to white individuals.
• Black women are 3.3 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related
• causes than white women in the U.S. Native American and Native
• Alaskan women are 2.5 times more likely to die than white women.

Want to learn more? Access the entire library of Sepsis Alliance fact sheets by clicking here.