Allina Health physician weighs in on Bush hospitalization

[KARE 11, January 01, 0001] A day after the funeral of his wife Barbara, former president George H.W. Bush was admitted to a Houston hospital with a life-threatening infection suffering from sepsis according to a source.

Allina Health infectious disease specialist Frank Rhame, MD, say sepsis happens when a person's immune system overreacts to an infection.

“It means there's an infection, it means low blood pressure, it means organs are starting to fail, perhaps because of the low blood pressure or just because the overall assault on the person,” said Rhame.

Older people can be more susceptible to sepsis, with a lessened ability to fight it, according to Rhame.