What Are the Causes of Osteomyelitis?
Infection of the bone (osteomyelitis) is a serious infection, but it can be successfully treated in current medical practice. In the recent past, a bone infection would likely have lead to certain amputation of the infected bone.
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Background
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Osteomyelitis is an infection of the bone that oftentimes is secondary to an infection in another part(s) of the body, or can begin in the bone itself in some circumstances. Osteomyelitis was once thought to be incurable, but today there are treatments that will successfully resolve the infection.
There are two major types of this bone infection: in children, the infection is acute; in adults the infection can be acute or chronic.
Causes
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The causative organisms for osteomyelitis are bacteria and fungi, with staphylococcus aureus as the single most frequent organism responsible for this infection.
These are medical situations in which the bone infection occurs:
An infection in a wound or other soft tissue lesion that exists for a long period of time can extend down to the bone surface.
When the bone has an injury that causes the bone to be exposed, there is a risk for direct infection.
An infection in another part of the body, such as a gum infection or bladder infection, can result in a systemic blood infection (sepsis) that can transfer the infection to the bone.
A minor injury can result in the formation of a blood clot around a bone; the blood clot can provide a medium for bacterial growth.
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Symptoms
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The symptoms of osteomyelitis will vary, depending on whether the infection is acute or chronic in nature.
Acute osteomyelitis symptoms can be: Fever that occurs suddenly; pain/discomfort in the infected area; in children, there can be irritability or fatigue; redness, tenderness, warmth, swelling to infected area; nausea.
Chronic osteomyelitis symptoms can be: Fever may or may not be present; redness, tenderness, warmth, swelling of the infected area; chronic fatigue; drainage from an open area near the infection.
(See References)
Treatment
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Acute osteomyelitis is treated with a course of antibiotics to clear the infection.
Cases of chronic osteomyelitis are often treated with surgical removal of the infected tissue along with a long course of antibiotic therapy.
If surgery is done to remove bone tissue, a bone graft is sometimes required to "fill in" the area where bone tissue has been removed.
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Prevention/Solution
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General care to prevent infections anywhere in the body is a good first step to preventing osteomyelitis. Good handwashing techniques and prompt attention to any open cuts or wounds are important.
Watch any open areas on your skin for signs/symptoms of infection. Notify your healthcare provider if you have an infection that persists.
Get prompt medical attention for other infections in your body such as urinary tract infections or gingivitis.
People at high risk for difficulty healing, such as diabetics or people on immuno-suppressive medications, should alert their healthcare providers to pay special attention to any signs/symptoms of infection.
Take all your antibiotics any time they are prescribed for you. Oftentimes, people stop taking their antibiotics when symptoms disappear, but that doesn't mean the organisms have all been eradicated. If infectious organisms live on due to an early stoppage of antibiotic therapy, they can have developed a resistance to that antibiotic and grow back in larger numbers and virulence.
(See References)
Complications
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Depending on the duration of the bone infection and the extent of bone tissue damage, the infected part might possibly require amputation.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit tronics, http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons
