Which symptom combination is typical of septic shock?

• A. Hypertension and sweating
• B. Fever and chills with tachycardia and hypotension
• C. Rash and edema
• D. Cough and chest pain/tenderness

Answer: (B)

Septic shock is a distributive shock caused by a systemic response to infection. The infection drives fever or chills as part of the body's inflammatory response. At the same time, inflammatory mediators cause widespread vasodilation and capillary leak, which drop the effective circulating volume and lead to low blood pressure. The heart then beats faster to try to compensate, producing tachycardia. So the combination of fever or chills with tachycardia and hypotension captures both the infectious trigger and the circulatory collapse that define septic shock.

Other symptom clusters fit different problems. Hypertension and sweating isn’t typical for septic shock; rash and edema could occur in other conditions such as certain infections or allergic reactions; cough and chest pain/tenderness point more toward respiratory or cardiac issues rather than a systemic septic process.