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Osteomyelitis - Osteomyelitis symptom, treatment, causes

Osteomyelitis is an infection of bone and bone marrow, usually causedby bacteria but very occasionally by fungi Micro-organisms can reach the bone via the blood-stream, from nearby soft tissue infection, or directly in open fractures or after penetrating injuries. Because bone is rigid, inflammation in the marrow cavity causes increased pressure that leads to reduced blood flow, tissue damage, clots in blood vesselsand necrosis (tissue death) of parts of the affected bone. Fragments of dead bone are called sequestra. The infection may extend through the outer surface of the bone to cause abscess formation in surrounding soft tissues, or pus may drain from bone onto the skin.

Osteomyelitis can happen as a result of an infection in another part of the body. The infection may spread to the bone in the bloodstream. This is often the cause of osteomyelitis in children. The long bones in the legs are those that are normally affected (the femur, tibia and fibula) in children . In adults, the vertebrae and the pelvis may be affected. Osteomyelitis can also occur following an injury; bacteria can spread to the bone through a deep cut in the skin, if infected. If you have diabetes, osteomyelitis may occur in the spine and in bones of the feet. Osteomyelitis occurs in children most commonly as an acute condition meaning that signs and symptoms last several months or less. In adults, osteomyelitis is most commonly a chronic condition, lasting several months to years. Whether osteomyelitis is acute or chronic determines the treatment, as children with acute osteomyelitis may be treated with antibiotics alone. Adults with chronic osteomyelitis usually require surgery in addition to antibiotics.

Osteomyelitis is an acute or chronic inflammatory process of the bone and its structures secondary to infection with pyogenic organisms. Infections can reach a bone by traveling through the bloodstream or spreading from nearby tissue. But osteomyelitis can occur in other bones, as well, including the bones of the spine (vertebrae), the foot bones, the pelvis and the collarbone. Once considered a fatal condition, osteomyelitis can be successfully treated today with surgery and antibiotics. Still, osteomyelitis is a serious condition, requiring aggressive treatment to prevent spread of the infection and to save the affected bone, if possible. Symptoms include deep pain and muscle spasms in the area of inflammation, and fever . Treatment is by bed rest, antibiotics (usually injected locally), and sometimes surgery to remove dead bone tissue.

Causes of Osteomyelitis

The common Causes of Osteomyelitis :

• Trauma .
• Infected joints .
• Infection that spreads from another source inside the body, such as ear infections.
• Foreign object penetrating the skin.

Symptom and Diagnosis of Osteomyelitis

Acute osteomyelitis of a limb bone causes fever, severe bone pain,and tenderness and swelling over the affected bone. Spinal osteomyelitis usually causes little or no feverand has a slower onset. Back pain gradually gets worse and is unrelieved by rest or analgesic drugs and worsened by movement. Diagnosis is by bone scans and/or X'rays and blood tests. Some common Symptoms of Osteomyelitis :

• Fever .
• Pain in the bone.
• Nausea.
• Chills.
• Local swelling.
• General malaise.
• Redness, and warmth.
• Drainage of pus through the skin (in chronic osteomyelitis).

Treament and Outlook of Osteomyelitis

High doses of appropriate antibiotics are given over several weeks or months. With prompt treatment, most osteomyelitis can be cured. If antibiotic treatment fails because the disturbed blood supply does not allow antibiotics to reach the infection, chronic osteomyelitis may develop; causing recurrent bouts of bone pain, intermittent or persistent drainage of pus onto the skin, or recurrent abscesses in nearby soft tissues. Surgery may be necessary to drain pus and remove infected and dead bone, with bone grafting or other measures to restore blood supply and healthy tissue to the area.

• Antibiotics (to fight the infection) .
• pain medications .
• Surgery (to clean out the infected area in and around the bone).