Which shock is caused by severe infection that damages blood vessels and leads to poor vascular constriction?

• A. Anaphylactic shock
• B. Hypovolemic shock
• C. Neurogenic shock
• D. Sept ic shock

Answer: (D)

Septic shock is a distributive shock caused by a severe infection. The body's inflammatory response damages the endothelium and releases mediators that trigger widespread vasodilation and increased capillary permeability. This disrupts normal vascular tone, so vessels fail to constrict effectively, blood flow is misdistributed, and blood pressure drops, leading to poor tissue perfusion. Other shocks involve different mechanisms: anaphylactic shock is from an allergic reaction with histamine-driven vasodilation and airway issues; hypovolemic shock stems from lost fluid volume; neurogenic shock results from disruption of sympathetic tone due to nervous system injury. The key idea here is infection-driven endothelial damage and systemic vasodilation causing hypotension and reduced perfusion, which defines septic shock.