Flesh-Eating Disease
Definition
Flesh-eating disease is more properly called necrotizing fasciitis (pronounced nek-ro-TIZE-ing FASS-ee-i-tiss). The disease is caused by a rare bacterium that destroys tissues lying beneath the skin. The tissue death is called necrosis, or gangrene. It spreads very rapidly and can be fatal.
Description
The term flesh-eating disease is not really correct. However, it does describe what seems to happen in the disease. An infection occurs that seems to consume body tissue. Reports about flesh-eating disease increased during the 1990s. But the disease has been known for a very long time. The Greek physician Hippocrates (c. 460–c. 377b.c.) described the condition more than two thousand years ago. The disease was also common during the Civil War (1861–65).
Flesh-eating disease affects the arms and legs most often, but the infection can occur anywhere on the body.
Causes
In nearly every case, flesh-eating disease begins with a skin infection. Bacteria begin to grow in the infected area. They release toxins (poisons) that destroy tissue under the skin.
Symptoms
Initially, the infected area appears red and swollen and feels hot. The area is extremely painful. After a few hours or days, the skin may become bluish-gray in color. Blisters filled with fluid may also form. The infected area becomes numb. An individual may go into shock and develop dangerously low blood pressure. The heart, kidneys, liver, and other organs may fail, leading to the patient's death.
Girl affected with flesh-eating disease. (Reproduced by permission of AP/Wide World Photo)Diagnosis
Flesh-eating disease can often be diagnosed based on the way the skin looks, along with pain in the area and a fever. This diagnosis can be confirmed by a variety of tests, such as an X ray or a computed tomography (CT) scan. A CT scan is a procedure by which X rays are directed at a patient's body from various angles and the set of photographs thus obtained assembled by a computer program. This procedure is sometimes called a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan. Samples of tissue under the skin can also be taken. Analysis of these samples will tell if the flesh-eating bacteria are present.
Treatment
Two treatments are used with flesh-eating disease. One is the use of antibiotics. Antibiotics such as penicillin, a family of drugs known as aminoglycosides (pronounced uh-MEE-no-gly-ko-sides), or cephalosporins (pronounced seff-a-lo-SPORE-inz) are used to kill the flesh-eating bacteria. The second method of treatment is surgery on the infected area. During surgery, dead tissue is cut away so that healthy tissue can grow back. The patient is observed carefully after surgery to make sure that the infection does not return.
Prognosis
About 30 percent of those who are affected by flesh-eating disease eventually die of the infection. People with other disorders, such as diabetes (see diabetes mellitus entry), kidney disease, malnutrition, and obesity (see obesity entry), are at especially high risk for the disease. The elderly and intravenous drug users (those who inject drugs) are also at higher risk for the disease.
One consequence of the disease can be permanent scarring where the dead skin was cut away. Plastic surgery can sometimes be used to cover or reduce the amount of scarring.
Prevention
There is no known method of preventing flesh-eating disease.
Flesh-Eating Disease: Words to Know
- Computed tomography (CT) scan:
- X rays taken of a portion of the body from various angles in order to obtain a three-dimensional picture of that region of the body.
- Computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan:
- Another name for a computed tomography (CT) scan.
- Gangrene:
- An extensive area of dead tissue.
- Necrosis:
- Abnormal death of tissues.
For More Information
Periodicals
Kotrappa, Kavitha S., Radhey S. Bansal, and Navin M. Amin. "Necrotizing Fasciitis." American Family Physician (May 1996): p. 1691.
Rth-Sahd, Lisa A., and Mary Pirrung. "The Infection that Eats Patients Alive." RN 1997 (March 1997): p. 28.
Web Sites
"The Flesh-eating Bacteria." Microbiology Home Page: Queen Mary Hospital. [Online] http://www.ha.org.hk/qmh/micro/strept.h tm (accessed on October 19, 1999).
National Necrotizing Fasciitis Foundation Home Page. [Online] http://www.nnff.org/info.html (accessed on October 19, 1999).
Grant, Amy. "Streptococcus A–Necrotizing Fascitis." Bacterial Infections and Mycoses. [Online] http://www.emergency.com/strep-a.htm (accessed on October 19, 1999).
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