Symptoms of sepsis explained as NASCAR driver Kyle Busch dies suddenly aged 41
Britt Jones
Featured Image Credit: James Gilbert/Getty Images
After NASCAR legend, Kyle Busch, was announced to have sadly passed away due to contracting sepsis, the signs to look out for have been revealed.
Busch died on May 21 at age 41 after being hospitalized with what had been described as a ‘severe illness’ in Charlotte, North Carolina.
However, it is now known that the two-time Cup Series champion had been struck down by pneumonia, which then led to sepsis, a blood infection, to occur.
This combination culminated in the racer to have been found unconscious in a driving simulated one day before his passing, per the New York Post.
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Sepsis is widely known as the silent killer, mainly because its symptoms can be difficult to distinguish from other ailments.
However, if not caught early, it can quickly cause a person’s health to deteriorate.
According to the Mayo Clinic, sepsis is a ‘serious condition in which the body responds improperly to an infection’, adding that this happens when ‘the infection-fighting processes turn on the body, causing the organs to work poorly.’
Complications of sepsis include septic shock, ‘a dramatic drop in blood pressure that can damage the lungs, kidneys, liver and other organs’.
Sadly, this can also lead to death.
Symptoms of sepsis vary from person to person; however, shivering, sweating, feeling lightheaded, displaying fast and shallow breathing, as well as a change in mental status are things to look out for.
If pneumonia is involved, like in the case of Busch, the Clinic notes that a ‘worsening cough’ can be something that occurs.
In the case of septic shock, a sufferer may not be able to stand, find it hard to wake up or stay awake, and show extreme confusion.
A statement released by the Busch’s revealed how the father-of-two was a ‘rare talent’, whose death had shaken the ‘entire NASCAR family’.
The statement was produced by NASCAR, Richard Childress Racing and his family.
Initially, his family had revealed that he would miss two planned racing events in the hours leading up to his death, per PEOPLE.
Busch was set to race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on May 22 and on May 24 at the Coca-Cola 600.
"A future Hall of Famer, Kyle was a rare talent, one who comes along once in a generation. He was fierce, he was passionate, he was immensely skilled and he cared deeply about the sport and fans. NASCAR lost a giant for the sport today, far too soon,” it read.