According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), approximately 1.7 million Americans receive a sepsis diagnosis every year, and 270,000 of those sepsis sufferers die. In general, those over 65 years old have an increased risk of sepsis and septic shock compared to the rest of the American population. This risk is much higher for those over the age of 85. In fact, those over age 85 are 5 times more likely to die from severe sepsis than those ages 65 to 74.