Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Shock
Shock happens when not enough blood and oxygen can get to your organs and tissues. It causes very low blood pressure and may be life-threatening. It often happens along with a serious injury.
There are several kinds of shock. Hypovolemic shock happens when you lose a lot of blood or fluids. Causes include internal or external bleeding, dehydration, burns, and severe vomiting and/or diarrhea. Septic shock is caused by infections in the bloodstream. A severe allergic reaction can cause anaphylactic shock. An insect bite or sting might cause it. Cardiogenic shock happens when the heart cannot pump blood effectively. This may happen after a heart attack. Neurogenic shock is caused by damage to the nervous system.
Symptoms of shock include:
- Confusion or lack of alertness
- Loss of consciousness
- Sudden and ongoing rapid heartbeat
- Sweating
- Pale skin
- A weak pulse
- Rapid breathing
- Decreased or no urine output
- Cool hands and feet
Shock is a life-threatening medical emergency and it is important to get help right away. Treatment of shock depends on the cause.
It sits within Blood, Heart and Circulation.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Shock
3,217 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Immune Dysregulation During Sepsis: A Natural History CohortNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- Evaluate the Value of Modified Shock Index in Predicting the Incidence of Cardiovascular Events After Non-cardiac Surgery in Cardiac PatientsFujian Medical University Union Hospital
- Multimodal Phenotyping In Patients Referred With Acute Cardiac faiLurEUniversity Heart Center Freiburg - Bad Krozingen
- Validation of a Capillary Leak Index During Septic Shock, Based on Haemoglobin Level Variations Induced by Fluid Resuscitation. A Pilot Study.University Hospital Center of Martinique
- Fecal Lactate and Resuscitation Outcomes in Critical IllnessHospital H+ Queretaro
- Adult Outpatient Linvoseltamab With Tocilizumab Prophylaxis to Mitigate the Risk of Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS)Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Research already completed
- Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) Score and Organ Dysfunction in Septic Shock PatientsSanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences
- Study to Evaluate the Role of Siltuximab in Treatment of Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) and Immune Effector Cell Associated Neurotoxicity (ICANS) Related to CAR-T Cell TherapyUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham
- Calciying Tendinopathy of the Rotator Cuff: Barbotage Vs Shock WavesMaimónides Biomedical Research Institute of Córdoba
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Diagnosis and Tests
- Lactate TestNational Library of Medicine
- Procalcitonin TestNational Library of Medicine
Treatments and Therapies
- Anaphylaxis: First AidMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- ShockAmerican College of Emergency Physicians
- Shock: First AidMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Related Issues
- Anaphylaxis-Like ReactionsNational Jewish Health
- Toxic Shock SyndromeMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: ShockNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Shock, SepticNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Shock. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Shock, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.