One-third of young children admitted to intensive care for sepsis show PTSD symptoms years later

Doctors have found that children who have been in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) for sepsis have a significantly increased risk of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), with around 1/3 showing PTSD symptoms. In some young people, these may persist for years following discharge. There is some evidence that these children have altered immune responses during their stay in ICU and this may be a risk factor for later PTSD symptom development, but this needs to be confirmed.