Kate Garraway shared news of husband Derek Draper's health scare that left him with “life-threatening” sepsis. The sepsis hospitalisation caused Kate, 55, to take a three-week absence from her presenting duties on Good Morning Britain.
Derek Draper, a 54-year-old former political adviser, fell seriously ill with Coronavirus in March 2020 and despite now being Covid-free, has suffered long-lasting damage to his organs and requires daily care.
Kate shared her husband's sepsis diagnosis, which could be informative to those who may think they have sepsis.
What is Sepsis?
Sepsis is a form of blood poisoning which happens when the body over-reacts to an infection and starts to damage its own tissues and organs. Normally our immune system is strong and fights infection effectively.
However sometimes it attacks our body’s own organs and tissues. If not treated immediately, sepsis can result in organ failure and death.
With an early diagnosis, it can be treated with antibiotics. The number of people developing sepsis is increasing, with around 123,000 cases each year in England.
Five people die with sepsis every hour in the UK, whilst 40% of all sepsis survivors suffer permanent, life-changing after effects.
Is Covid and sepsis related?
According to the UK Sepsis Trust, a fifth of Covid patients get sepsis in the year following discharge from hospital and a fifth of those die. However this should not be construed as a link between sepsis and Covid.
Overall, sepsis survivors are at risk of contracting infections within a few months of their recovery – this includes any infection including Covid.
Sepsis signs to look out for
Sepsis sufferers can exhibit flu, chest infection or gastroenteritis symptoms, which appear differently in adults and children.
How to spot sepsis in adults
If you have any of these symptoms, seek medical help immediately. SEPSIS is a handy acronym to remember, as below:
- Slurred speech or confusion
- Extreme shivering or muscle pain
- Passing no urine (in a day)
- Severe breathlessness
- It feels like you’re going to die
- Skin mottled or discoloured
How to spot sepsis in children
If your children have any of these symptoms, seek medical help immediately. Call 999 or go to A&E and ask "Could it be sepsis?"
- Is breathing very fast
- Has a fit or convulsion
- Has skin that is mottled, bluish, or pale
- Has a rash that does not fade when you press it
- Is very lethargic or difficult to wake
- Feels abnormally cold to touch
A child under 5 may have sepsis if they are not feeding properly, can't keep food down, or if they have not passed urine for 12 hours. There are challenges in diagnosing sepsis because it is difficult to spot and has common symptoms with numerous other illnesses.
Kate said: "When you’ve got sepsis, the big challenge is to find the source of infection quickly and get the right antibiotics." She explained that by a “process of eliminations and questions” and after a junior doctor asking her what she thought the cause may be, she suggested it could be a urine infection.
She added that it was “not clear yet really exactly why he’s only developed this, probably due to Covid, but that’s to come. The important thing is, is we’re back on the right side of it now.”
Derek has been moved from intensive care whilst he waits for another procedure.
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