b'ChapterCausesMany medical conditions / emergencies present in the community that need urgent assessment and treatment by health care professionals. The nature of most of them is often obvious however some are difficult to diagnose even under ideal hospital circumstances. A frequent example is sepsis (extreme immune response to an infection). It is more important for a first aider to recognise that a patient needs urgent medical care than to diagnose the nature of the illness.Causes A patient can deteriorate quickly with a serious illness, but certain people are at higher risk including:Children under 10 years of ageAdults over 65 years of agePeople with chronic diseasesPeople with weakened immune systemsAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, Maori and Pasifika (Pacific Polynesian people) How to RecogniseEarly recognition of serious illness is critical as early treatment improves outcomes. Various signs and symptoms are common to many conditions, but it is their combination that alerts health professionals to the possibility of serious illness and prompts further investigation and treatment. The more signs and symptoms in combination, the higher the risk that the underlying problem is a serious illness. Adult Evidence suggests the most important indicator is when the patient with a serious illness feelsnot right or say they might feel they are going to die.This is even more significant if family, friends, associates who know this person have noticed:A change in their behaviour. The more signs and symptoms present, the greater the concernthat the person is seriously ill. Rapid breathing (breathing rate greater than 22 per minute)being the most reliable indicator ofserious illness in an adultBreathlessness or feeling short of breathRestlessness, agitation, dizziness, decreased level of consciousness, confusion, slurred speech ordisorientation266 The Seriously Ill Patient / Sepsis'