What is sepsis, developed by UK woman who lost 4 limbs, after dog lick?

A UK woman’s life changed in a matter of a few hours. Manjit Sangha never would have imagined that playing with her dog and its innocent gesture of licking her would lead her to lose all her limbs.

After spending 32 weeks in hospital, she has finally returned home in Penn on the Wolverhampton and Staffordshire border. As she seeks to rebuild her life, we take a look at her story.

UK woman uses limbs after dog lick

Manjit Sangha, a 56-year-old pharmacy worker, returned home from work on a Saturday afternoon last July, feeling unwell. The next day, she was unconscious, while her hands and feet were ice-cold, as per a BBC report.

Her lips had turned purple and she was having difficulty breathing.

Sangha was rushed to the New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton. While in intensive care, her heart stopped six times.

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"Your mind is all over the place," her husband Kam Sangha told BBC. "You're thinking 'how can this happen in less than 24 hours?'

"One minute on a Saturday she's playing with the dog, Sunday she's gone to work, Monday night she's in a coma."

Sepsis is a rare but life-threatening condition. Representational Image/AI-generated

According to doctors, Sangha may have developed sepsis after being licked by her dog on a small cut or scratch.

Later, surgeons at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley had to amputate both of her legs below the knee and both of her hands, as sepsis spread.

She also lost her spleen, got pneumonia and developed gallstones. "I didn't know what was happening. The first month I do not remember anything,” Sangha told the British broadcaster.

She returned home last week after more than 30 weeks in hospital.

As she come back to her life, the former pharmacy worker wants to warn people about sepsis, which she said "could happen to anybody". "It's difficult to explain the experience," she said.

"Losing your limbs and your hands in a short time period is a very big thing. It's very serious and not to be taken lightly.”

Sangha and her husband are now fundraising for advanced prosthetics, including robotic hands. They have raised more than £22,000 through a GoFundMe webpage and fundraising at Screwfix, where the woman also worked.

Sangha knows she has a difficult road ahead, but she is set on rebuilding her life.

"I want to get walking," she said. "I want to get my prosthetics [and] to go back to work. I've sat down in my chair and my bed enough. It's time to walk now."

What is sepsis?

Sepsis is a rare but life-threatening condition that occurs when the body responds improperly to an infection.

Sometimes, when the body is infected, the immune system overreacts, mistakenly damaging healthy tissues and organs, as per My Cleveland.

This can lead to inflammation across the body. If not treated urgently, sepsis can damage tissue, result in multiple organ failure and even death.

Sepsis can progress to septic shock, which is a significant decline in blood pressure that can damage the lungs, kidneys, liver and other organs, noted Mayo Clinic.

In case of severe damage, a person can die in as little as 12 hours.

Symptoms of sepsis

Sepsis is hard to spot, as per the UK National Health Service (NHS). Any kind of infection, including bacterial, viral or fungal, can lead to sepsis.

Its symptoms in adults include slurred speech, extreme shivering or muscle pain, mottled or discoloured skin, difficulty breathing, breathlessness or rapid breathing.

A person can develop a sepsis rash that makes the skin discoloured or red if they have a bloodstream infection, or bacteremia.

Other symptoms entail fever, low energy and weakness, fast heart rate and extreme pain and discomfort.

Who’s at risk?

People over age 65, who are pregnant, have a weakened immune system, or have chronic diseases, such as diabetes and kidney disease, are vulnerable to sepsis.

What’s the treatment?

Sepsis is curable, but it needs to be treated immediately once diagnosed. In case of bacterial infection, patients are given antibiotics.

Other treatment options include IV (intravenous) fluids, vasopressor drugs to tighten blood vessels, and surgery.

Can sepsis be prevented?

People can take precautions to prevent sepsis. They should practice good hygiene, including handwashing, and keep wounds and cuts clean and covered until healed.

They should get routine medical care for chronic conditions and seek immediate medical attention in case of an infection.

With inputs from agencies