What kind of shock occurs when toxins produced during a massive infection cause a dramatic drop in blood pressure?

Septic shock occurs as a result of a severe systemic infection, where the bacteria or toxins released into the bloodstream trigger a widespread inflammatory response. This response leads to the dilation of blood vessels and increased permeability of the capillary walls, causing a significant drop in blood pressure and potentially leading to organ dysfunction and failure.

In septic shock, the body’s mechanisms to maintain blood flow and pressure are overwhelmed by the inflammatory mediators released due to the infection. This makes septic shock a critical condition requiring immediate medical attention to stabilize the patient, often necessitating the use of fluids and vasopressors to raise blood pressure.

While anaphylactic shock is related to severe allergic reactions, neurogenic shock involves loss of sympathetic tone usually due to spinal cord injury, and cardiogenic shock is a failure of the heart to pump effectively, these conditions do not primarily stem from infectious processes or toxins in the same manner as septic shock does.