Sepsis: Understanding Blood Poisoning - Symptoms & Risks

The medical term for blood poisoning is sepsis. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body's response to an infection damages its own tissues. When the infection-fighting processes turn on the body, they cause organs to function poorly and abnormally. Sepsis may progress to septic shock. This is a dramatic drop in blood pressure that can lead to severe organ problems and death.