The SIRS (Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) criteria for an infectious disease require meeting at least two of the following four conditions: a high or low body temperature, a high heart rate, an abnormally high respiratory rate or low carbon dioxide pressure, and an abnormal white blood cell count. These criteria indicate a systemic inflammatory response that can be caused by an infection, but they are not specific to infection alone.
Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) Criteria
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The Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) criteria represent a clinical syndrome of widespread inflammation that can be triggered by various insults, most commonly infection. When SIRS is caused by a confirmed infection, it’s termed sepsis. While newer criteria like qSOFA have been introduced, SIRS remains relevant in clinical practice for recognizing systemic inflammation.
SIRS Criteria
A patient meets SIRS criteria when two or more of the following are present:
- Body Temperature: >38°C (100.4°F) or <36°C (96.8°F)
- Heart Rate: >90 beats per minute
- Respiratory Rate: >20 breaths per minute or PaCOâ‚‚ <32 mmHg
- White Blood Cell Count: >12,000/μL, <4,000/μL, or >10% bands
