Next Steps

Prognosis

The prognosis of sepsis depends on age, previous health history, overall health status, how quickly the diagnosis is made, and the type of organism causing the sepsis.

• For elderly people with many illnesses or for those whose immune system is not working well because of illness or certain medications and sepsis is advanced, the death rate may be as high as 80%.



• On the other hand, for healthy people with no prior illness, the death rate may be low, at around 5%.



• The overall death rate from sepsis is approximately 40%. It is important to remember that the prognosis also depends on any delay in diagnosis and treatment. The earlier the treatment is started, the better the outcome will be.