abscess
Sign in to saveAn abscess is a collection of pus that has built up within the tissue of the body, usually caused by bacterial infection. Signs and symptoms of abscesses include redness, pain, warmth, and swelling. The swelling may feel fluid-filled when pressed. The area of redness often extends beyond the swelling. Carbuncles and boils are types of abscess that often involve hair follicles, with carbuncles being larger. A cyst is related to an abscess, but it contains a material other than pus, and a cyst has a clearly defined wall. Abscesses can also form internally on internal organs and after surgery.
AI overview
An abscess is a pocket of pus that forms in your body tissue, usually because of a bacterial infection, and typically causes redness, pain, warmth, and swelling in the affected area. They matter because they can occur anywhere in the body—including on your skin or inside your organs—and require proper medical attention to prevent complications.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Medical condition (new).causes
- Bacterial infection (often MRSA)
- Medical condition (new).risks
- Intravenous drug use
- Medical condition (new).name
- Abscess
- Medical condition (new).image
- Five day old Abscess.jpg
- Medical condition (new).caption
- Five-day-old inflamed epidermal inclusion cyst. The black spot is a keratin plug that connects with the underlying cyst.
- Medical condition (new).field
- General surgery, infectious disease, dermatology, interventional radiology
- Medical condition (new).symptoms
- Redness, pain, swelling
- Medical condition (new).diagnosis
- Ultrasound, CT scan
- Medical condition (new).differential
- Cellulitis, sebaceous cyst, necrotising fasciitis
- Medical condition (new).treatment
- Incision and drainage, Antibiotics
- Medical condition (new).frequency
Article
25 sectionsContents
- Signs and symptoms
- Causes
- Skin abscess
- Anorectal abscess
- Incisional abscess
- Internal abscess<!-- This should eventually be broken into several distinct subsections when there is enough information to do this -->
- Pathophysiology
- Diagnosis
- Classification
- IV drug use
- Differential
- Treatment
- Incision and drainage
- Antibiotics
- Packing
- Loop drainage
- Primary closure
- Appendiceal abscess
- Prognosis
- Epidemiology
- Society and culture
- Etymology
- Other types
- References
- External links
An abscess is a collection of pus that has built up within the tissue of the body, usually caused by bacterial infection. Signs and symptoms of abscesses include redness, pain, warmth, and swelling. The swelling may feel fluid-filled when pressed. The area of redness often extends beyond the swelling. Carbuncles and boils are types of abscess that often involve hair follicles, with carbuncles being larger. A cyst is related to an abscess, but it contains a material other than pus, and a cyst has a clearly defined wall. Abscesses can also form internally on internal organs and after surgery.
They are usually caused by a bacterial infection. Often many different types of bacteria are involved in a single infection. In many areas of the world, the most common bacteria present are methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Skin abscesses in particular are overwhelmingly caused by S. aureus. Rarely, parasites can cause abscesses; this is more common in the developing world. Diagnosis of a skin abscess is usually made based on what it looks like and is confirmed by cutting it open. Ultrasound imaging may be useful in cases in which the diagnosis is not clear. In abscesses around the anus, computer tomography (CT) may be important to look for deeper infection.