The key difference between sepsis and cytokine storm is that sepsis is the overwhelming and life-threatening response of the body to an infection, which leads to tissue damage, organ failure, and death, while cytokine storm is the release of too many cytokines to the blood very quickly due to a severe immune reaction such as the loss of control of cytokine production.
Sepsis results from a variety of pathogens that originate from a different range of sources. Pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines dominate the response at the onset of sepsis. However, excessive production of both pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines leads to cytokine storms. Therefore, sepsis and cytokine storms are two related conditions.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Sepsis
3. What is Cytokine Storm
4. Similarities – Sepsis and Cytokine Storm
5. Sepsis vs Cytokine Storm in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Sepsis vs Cytokine Storm
What is Sepsis?
Sepsis is the overwhelming response of the body to an infection, which leads to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. In sepsis, the body’s response to an infection damages its own tissues. The signs and symptoms of sepsis include changes in mental status, systolic blood pressure less than or equal to 100 mmHg, a respiratory rate higher than or equal to 22 breaths a minute, and a high level of lactic acid in the blood (serum lactate). Sepsis can be caused due to bacterial, viral, or fungal infections in the kidney, bladder, and other parts of the urinary system, digestive system, bloodstream, catheter sites, pneumonia, and wounds or burns. Moreover, the risk factors for sepsis include older age, infancy, compromised immune system, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease or liver disease, longer hospital stays, invasive devices such as catheters, and previous use of antibiotics or corticosteroids.
Figure 01: Sepsis
Sepsis can be diagnosed through blood tests, other lab tests (urine, wound secretions, and urinary secretions), and imaging tests (X-ray, ultrasound, CT scan, and MRI). The treatment options for sepsis include medications (antibiotics, intravenous fluid, and vasopressors), supportive care and collection of pus (abscesses), and infected and dead tissues gangrene.
What is Cytokine Storm?
Cytokine storm is the release of too many cytokines into the blood very quickly due to a severe immune reaction, such as the loss of control of cytokine production. The symptoms of cytokine storm include fever, chills, tiredness, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, headaches, cough, low blood pressure, joint pain, muscle pain, skin rash, shortness of breath, confusion, dizziness, difficulty in swallowing, and swelling. Moreover, cytokine storm is caused by infections (HINI influenza, H5N1 influenza, SARS-COV2, influenza B, parainfluenza, Epstein Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, group A Streptococcus), graft versus host disease, and immunotherapies. The risk factors for cytokine storm include male gender, being over 40 years, and positive results for repeated infections.
Figure 02: Cytokine Storm
Cytokine storms can be diagnosed through a variety of tests such as blood tests (complete blood count) and imaging tests (X-ray, CT scan, and MRI). Furthermore, treatment options for cytokine storms include medications to reduce inflammation (corticosteroids), intravenous fluid, drugs to reduce fever, oxygen, mechanical ventilation, blood transfusion, dialysis, electrolyte management, and medications to support the heart.
What are the Similarities Between Sepsis and Cytokine Storm?
- Sepsis and cytokine storms are two related conditions.
- Excessive production of both pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines in sepsis leads to cytokine storms.
- Both conditions are triggered by infections.
- They can cause life-threatening complications.
- Both conditions are diagnosed through blood tests and imaging tests.
- They are treated through specific medications and therapies.
What is the Difference Between Sepsis and Cytokine Storm?
Sepsis is the overwhelming and life-threatening response of the body to an infection, which leads to tissue damage, organ failure, and death, while cytokine storm is the release of too many cytokines into the blood very quickly due to a severe immune reaction. Thus, this is the key difference between sepsis and cytokine storm. Furthermore, risk factors for sepsis include older age, infancy, compromised immune system, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney or liver disease, longer hospital stays, invasive devices such as catheters, and previous use of antibiotics or corticosteroids. On the other hand, risk factors for cytokine storm include male gender, over 40 years, and positive results for repeated infections.
The below infographic presents the differences between sepsis and cytokine storm in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Sepsis vs Cytokine Storm
Sepsis and cytokine storms are two related medical conditions. This is because excessive production of both pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines in sepsis can lead to cytokine storms. However, sepsis is the overwhelming and life-threatening response of the body to an infection, which leads to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. In contrast, a cytokine storm is the release of too many cytokines into the blood very quickly due to a severe immune reaction, such as the loss of control of cytokine production. So, this is the key difference between sepsis and cytokine storms.
Reference:
1. “What Is Sepsis?” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9 Aug. 2022.
2. Cuffari, Benedette. “What Is a Cytokine Storm?” News, 24 June 2022.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Sepsis-Mikrothomben1” By Emergency doc – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Fimmu-11-01648-g001” By Bhaskar S, Sinha A, Banach M, Mittoo S, Weissert R, Kass JS, Rajagopal S, Pai AR and Kutty S (2020) Cytokine Storm in COVID-19—Immunopathological Mechanisms, Clinical Considerations, and Therapeutic Approaches: The REPROGRAM Consortium Position Paper. Front. Immunol. 11:1648.https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.01648 (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia