Osteomyelitis is a disease that is an inflammatory purulent necrotic process in bone tissue or in the bone marrow, as well as in surrounding soft tissues. Infection can affect any bone in the body, but vertebrates, long bones (limbs), bones of the feet, jaws suffer more often. This is a serious enough pathology, which can adversely affect all processes occurring in the body.
Causes of osteomyelitis
Osteomyelitis is caused by various types of pathogenic bacteria and fungi that can enter the bone, but most often staphylococci and streptococci. There are two main ways of penetration of pathogens of infection:
- endogenous (hematogenous) - with the blood flow from the foci of inflammation in other organs and tissues;
- exogenous (non-hematogenous) - from the external environment with injuries (fractures, wounds, surgical interventions).
Hematogenous acute osteomyelitis can be a consequence of diseases such as otitis media, tonsillitis, furunculosis, pyoderma, pneumonia, measles, etc.
The following factors contribute to the development of the disease:
- arteriosclerosis of blood vessels ;
- smoking, alcohol abuse, drug use;
- frequent infections;
- diabetes mellitus ;
- impaired renal function, liver;
- malignant diseases, etc.
The main symptoms of acute bone osteomyelitis
Manifestations of the disease depend on the type of pathogen, the patient's age, the state of his immunity, and also on the localization and spread of the process. As a rule, the endogenous acute process does not manifest itself in the first 2 - 4 days. You can feel only a general malaise, weakness. In the future, the following symptoms appear:
- increased body temperature (sometimes up to 40 ° C);
- chills;
- increased heart rate;
- severe pain in the affected area of the body;
- swelling of soft tissues, reddening of the skin at the site of inflammation.
In the case of exogenous osteomyelitis, the most pronounced are the local symptoms:
- presence of a purulent wound or transferred trauma;
- edema, reddening of soft tissues;
- pain in the place of injury.
Symptoms of osteomyelitis after tooth extraction
Osteomyelitis can also be a complication after the usual removal or sealing of the tooth, which is more often due to the ingress of bacterial infection from poorly sterilized equipment or poor-quality wound treatment. In this case, we are talking about odontogenic osteomyelitis of the jaw, the signs of which are as follows:
- edema and sharp soreness of the gums;
- excretion of pus from the gums;
- toothache;
- headache;
- fever.
Characteristic feature in acute odontogenic osteomyelitis is also a symptom of Vincent - a violation of sensitivity, numbness of the skin in the region of the lips and chin.
Symptoms of the spine osteomyelitis
This type of osteomyelitis is most severe. It is also characterized by such a symptom as a significant increase in body temperature, although in some cases the temperature is subfebrile. The main sign is a pain syndrome, which depends on the localization of the process and can mimic some other diseases (pneumonia, pleurisy, paraproctitis, osteochondrosis, etc.).
In addition, there are signs of the disease:
- chills;
- sweating at night;
- exhaustion of the body.
Symptoms of Chronic Osteomyelitis
Acute osteomyelitis can go into a chronic stage, characterized by alternating periods of exacerbation and rest. In this case, the pain decreases, the patient's condition improves somewhat, - signs of intoxication disappear, body temperature normalizes. Single or multiple fistulas with a moderate purulent discharge are formed in the focal area, which is the defining symptom of the chronic form of the disease.
The exacerbation of a chronic disease in its manifestations resembles the onset of an acute, but in an erased form. Relapse is facilitated by the closure of the fistula and accumulation of pus in the osteomyelitis cavity, which causes a sharp deterioration in the patient's condition.