The Impact of Sepsis in Belgium: Statistics, Consequences, and Awareness

By comparison, 499 people died from traffic accidents in 2020, 15 times fewer than the number of deaths from sepsis. The number of sepsis deaths that year was lower than the number of cancer deaths (27,209).

Sepsis appears to be more common in Belgium than in other Western European countries. “If you compare those figures, you will find that the figures for sepsis in our country are higher than the Western European average,” says De Waele. “This applies to both the prevention of sepsis and the number of deaths from sepsis.”

A lack of numbers

However, it is not exactly known how many Belgians die each year due to sepsis. This is because the government does not collect figures on this. Sepsis is also not properly recorded in hospitals. There are figures on bloodstream infections in hospitals, but they are not quite the same.

“Unfortunately, it is a waste of money when it comes to sepsis figures,” says De Waele. “As far as I know, there is no registration or anything that could pass for that.” Countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom and Sweden have a “sepsis register”. Experts say in “Pano” that Belgium can also use such a register. It can help to tackle sepsis in a more targeted manner.

Some sepsis patients lose limbs

Even people who survive often suffer serious consequences. They sometimes lose body parts or organs because they did not receive enough oxygen during the sepsis. Then amputation is sometimes unavoidable.

“It often concerns the extremities of the body,” says Erika Vlieghe. “People lose their hands or feet, their nose or their ears. That of course has a huge impact on the quality of life.” Audrey (15) lost both her legs and arms due to sepsis, shortly after her first birthday, she says in a “Pano” report that will be broadcast tonight.

Even patients who do not lose arms or legs often have to recover for a long time. “Some people never quite get back to normal and develop depression,” says Erika Vlieghe. “They spend months in hospital and sometimes complex operations are required. There are also patients who are permanently unable to work.” More understanding is also needed for that long-term recovery process, says Vlieghe.

Could it be sepsis?

Of course, it doesn’t help that sepsis is little known to the general public. Most people know what a heart attack or stroke is, but they have never heard of sepsis. “People sometimes ask me why I have no legs,” says Ilse Malfait. “They look at me with big eyes when I tell them that it is due to sepsis. Or they ask whether sepsis has something to do with skepticism. There is still a lot of room for improvement in that area.”

A major campaign was therefore organized in the United Kingdom. Large posters were placed in bus shelters with a simple slogan: “Just ask yourself, could it be sepsis?”

2023-11-23 05:37:41
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