Osteomyelitis: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

1. Osteomyelitis: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment What is Osteomyelitis? Osteomyelitis is an infection, inflammation of the bone, or the bone marrow that can be bacteria, or fungal. It is a rare but serious condition where the bones can become infected in many ways. It occurs when the bacterial or fungal infection reaches the bone by traveling through the bloodstream or spreading from the nearby tissues. If you have an open fracture or surgery, it may expose the bone to infection. Smokers and people suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes or kidney failure are at higher risks of developing Osteomyelitis. Osteomyelitis may occur in people with diabetes in their feet if they have foot ulcers. If you see any signs of Osteomyelitis, you must immediately consult Chronic osteomyelitis wound management for effective and safe healing. If it is left untreated, the infection can lead to severe chronic and can cause poor blood supply to the affected bones. If this is the condition, it can lead to the eventual death of the bone tissue.

2. Who Gets Osteomyelitis? Both adults and children can develop Osteomyelitis but differ among age groups depending on the bacterial and fungus infection. Osteomyelitis can affect the vertebrae and the pelvis in adults while in children, it usually affects the adjacent ends of long bones. Following are the people who are at a higher risk of developing the disease including: 1. People with diabetes, Sickle cell disease, HIV, or Rheumatoid arthritis. 2. People with a weak immune system 3. Intravenous drug use and Long-term use of steroids 4. Poor blood supply 5. Any recent injury 6. Bone surgery etc.

3. Symptoms of Osteomyelitis The signs and symptoms of osteomyelitis include: 1. Severe pain, warmth, swelling, redness, or tenderness in the affected area. 2. Fever and fatigue 3. Nausea 4. You may feel discomfort or uneasiness 5. Drainage of pus through the skin etc. There can be some additional symptoms that can be associated with the disease including: 1. Too much sweating 2. You may feel cold or lower back pain 3. Swelling in the ankles, feet, and legs 4. Loss of motion of a joint etc. If you see any of these signs, you must see osteomyelitis wound care. Sometimes you do not notice any signs or symptoms of Osteomyelitis or it can be harder to be noticed especially in the case of infants, older people, and people with a weak immune system. Causes of Osteomyelitis In most of the cases, a bacteria known as Staphylococcus aureus - a type of staph bacteria causes Osteomyelitis. This bacteria can be usually found on the skin or in the nose of people with no diseases. When there is an infection in the bone, the immune system will try to kill it by sending Neutrophils - a type of white blood cell to the source of infection to kill the infection. If the infection is not treated well, it can cause a pocket of pus. But it can also be caused by a variety of microbial agents including: 1. An open injury in the bone 2. A minor trauma

4. 3. Bacteria in the bloodstream or 4. A chronic open wound leading to a direct bone infection. Treatment of Osteomyelitis The first step to osteomyelitis treatment is to diagnose whether a person has Osteomyelitis or not. It includes X-rays, blood tests, MRI, CT scans, and even a bone biopsy. The wound care experts usually recommend both antibiotics and surgery to repair the bone damage. 1. Surgery - In case of serious chronic Osteomyelitis, surgery is required to remove the infected tissues and bone. 2. Antibiotics - If the patient is not capable of tolerating the surgery due to the illness, the doctors may use antibiotics to keep the infection under control. If you have diabetes, you must pay attention to your feet and contact your doctor if you see any signs of infection. To prevent Osteomyelitis, you need to keep things clean.