Osteomyelitis is simply infection of the bone triggered by bacteria or even a fungus in rare instances. The bones are considered as living tissues and can end up infected by microbes.
Possible causes
Osteomyelitis can stem from an infection that spreads to the bones from an adjacent tissue or via the blood. Any bone that sustained an injury is prone to infection.
What are the indications of osteomyelitis?
An individual has osteomyelitis if there is pain or tenderness in a bone. There is also difficulty or inability to bear any weight on the affected limb.
If an individual suffers from chills, fever, irritability and stiffness, redness or swelling over the affected bone, there is likelihood that he/she has osteomyelitis. Nevertheless, a precise diagnosis can only by given by a doctor. If the pain or fever continues to worsen and a possible bone infection is suspected, a doctor should be consulted.
Risk factors
Osteomyelitis can develop at any age and affect any bone in the body. Nevertheless, there are some medical conditions and factors that increases the risk for osteomyelitis such as the following:
- Hemodialysis
- Spleen removal
- Intravenous drug use
- Diabetes
- Sickle cell anemia
- Smoking
- Recent injury to the bone or orthopedic surgery
Potential complications
It is important to note that osteomyelitis is a serious health condition and if left untreated, can spread to other bones and other parts of the body. This can result to systemic infection, sepsis and even bone death in severe cases.
The doctor might decide to amputate the infected bone and surrounding tissue to stop the infection from spreading further.
Management
The treatment usually involves the administration of intravenous or oral antibiotics to fight the bacterial infection. The antibiotics should be used for at least 4-6 weeks or even longer in some cases.
Surgery might be needed to eliminate any damaged bone tissue. The result from an acute case is typically good with appropriate treatment and full recovery can be achieved. Nevertheless, the outlook is poor among those who have a chronic case. In severe cases in which the infection does not settle, amputation might be considered to eliminate the dead and infected tissue.