What is Sepsis? 2,700-year-old disease is the most expensive medical condition in the world

Sepsis is a potentially fatal condition brought on by the body's excessive reaction to an infection, which causes it to harm its own tissues and organs. Sepsis was first used by the Greek poet Homer more than 2,700 years ago as a variant of the word "sepo," which means "I rot."

Sepsis continues to be a major medical issue, affecting close to 50 million people annually throughout the world, despite significant advances in our understanding of the immunological factors involved it. Worldwide, sepsis caused 11 million deaths in 2017. It is also the most costly healthcare condition in the United States, costing more than tens of billions of dollars yearly.

Researchers have studied how particular bacterial species engage with cells during infectious diseases. The study looked at how sepsis and other harmful and even fatal outcomes can result from an overreactive immune response. The cells and molecules that may cause sepsis-related death were found in our recently published research.

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TNF (Tumor necrosis factor) in sepsis and autoimmune disease

When immune cells identify parts of the invasive pathogen, the body's response to infection begins. The molecules such as cytokines released by these cells later aid in the infection's eradication. A large class of small proteins known as cytokines attracts additional immune cells to the site of an infection or injury.

Even though cytokines are crucial to the immune response, their overproduction and unrestrained release can cause the dangerous cytokine storm that is linked to sepsis. Cytokine storms were first observed in the context of graft versus host disease, which resulted from complications with transplants.

Additionally, they can happen during viral infections like COVID-19. The failure of multiple organs and death may result from this unregulated immune reaction. Tumor necrosis factor, or TNF, exists as the most potent and extensively researched cytokine out of the hundreds that are known to exist.

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How does TNF affect our body?

TNF encourages beneficial processes like cell survival and tissue regeneration under normal circumstances. To prevent persistent inflammation and ongoing immune cell proliferation, TNF production must be strictly restricted. TNF must be tightly controlled under infection-related circumstances to avoid excessive inflammatory and immune-mediated tissue and organ damage.

Sepsis can occur when TNF is not under control during infections. Studies of septic shock have been modelled for many years by examining reactions to bacterial LPS. According to this model, LPS causes some immune cells to become active, which causes the production of inflammatory cytokines, particularly TNF. This then triggers excessive immune cell recruitment, proliferation, and death, which ultimately causes damage to tissue and organs.

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