Sepsis deaths worldwide have dropped by 30 percent since 1990, according to a study published in The Lancet.
For the study, researchers used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study, examining annual sepsis incidence and death trends from 1990 through 2017.
The study shows a drop in both sepsis incidence and deaths. Sepsis incidence declined by 19 percent, from about 60.2 million cases in 1990 to 48.9 million cases in 2017. Deaths decreased by 30 percent, from 15.7 million in 1990 to 11 million in 2017, representing 19.7 percent of all global deaths.
Researchers also found that in 2017, the majority of sepsis cases (85 percent) occurred in low- or middle-income countries and that more than 40 percent of all cases occurred in children younger than 5.
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Seattle-based University of Washington schools of medicine conducted the study.