What are the causes and symptoms of shock?
Shock is caused by three major categories of problems: cardiogenic (meaning problems associated with the heart’s functioning); hypovolemic (meaning that the total volume of blood available to circulate is low); and septic shock (caused by overwhelming infection, usually by bacteria). Cardiogenic shock can be caused by any disease, or event, which prevents the heart muscle from pumping strongly and consistently enough to circulate the blood normally. Heart attack, conditions which cause inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis), disturbances of the electrical rhythm of the heart, any kind of mass or fluid accumulation and/or blood clot which interferes with flow out of the heart can all significantly affect the heart’s ability to adequately pump a normal quantity of blood. Hypovolemic shock occurs when the total volume of blood in the body falls well below normal. This can occur when there is excess fluid loss, as in dehydration due to severe vomiting or diarrhea, diseases which ca
