Sepsis is an acute, life-threatening condition that happens when the body’s immune system has an extreme response to an infection, damaging the tissues and organs.
University of Otago (Wellington) researchers found hospital admissions for the condition rose 78% between 2000 and 2019, increasing from 217 admissions per 100,000 people in 2000 to 386 admissions per 100,000 people in 2019.
It also found infants, people over 70, Māori and Pacific peoples and those living in areas of deprivation were at a much higher risk of developing the condition.
Research leader and public health PhD student Sharla McTavish said Māori were 1.7 times more likely to be admitted to hospital with sepsis than non-Māori, and Pacific peoples were 2.3 times more likely to be admitted to hospital with sepsis.
Both were more than 1.5 times more likely to die of the condition.
And patients living in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation were twice as likely to die from the condition than those in the least deprived socioeconomic areas, she said.
Globally, sepsis is estimated to be responsible for one in three deaths, and more than 166million cases were reported in 2021.
Ms McTavish said the Otago study was the first to report long-term epidemiological trends for all public hospital admissions for sepsis in New Zealand.
She said sepsis was having a large impact on health and wellbeing in New Zealand.
‘‘That’s almost 5% of the total mortality in Aotearoa over that period, and if you compare it to motor vehicle fatalities, it’s almost four times as many deaths.’’
While the number of hospital admissions had increased significantly over the 20-year period, the number of deaths had remained comparatively stable, she said.
However, sepsis cases were likely to continue to rise as the population aged, and the number of people living with chronic conditions such as diabetes, increased.
‘‘People living with multiple long-term health conditions are at higher risk of developing sepsis, and where this is combined with inequalities, such as household overcrowding, the risk increases even more,’’ she said.
Study co-author and University of Otago public health professor Michael Baker said taking action to prevent the condition should be high on the government’s list of priorities.
‘‘Many cases and deaths from sepsis are preventable, but we need to use all the public health measures we have to combat the toll it is taking on New Zealand families.’’
Many in the medical community said only half of sepsis patients received appropriate treatment within the recommended three-hour window, which was well below global best practice, and it was putting lives at risk.
A long-term, comprehensive national sepsis action plan was needed, to address early recognition and treatment, careful use of antibiotics, wider public health surveillance and equitable and effective wraparound support for sepsis survivors.
Strong international evidence showed investing in prevention of sepsis would reduce hospital stays, ease pressure and costs on intensive care units and the ACC system, and deliver strong economic returns.
