File:Necrotizing_fasciitis_left_leg.JPEG · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
necrotizing fasciitis
Sign in to saveAlso known as NF, Flesh-eating disease, flesh-eating bacteria syndrome, necrotizing soft tissue infection, NSTI, fasciitis necroticans
infection that results in the death of the body's soft tissue
Key facts
- Other names
- Flesh-eating bacteria, flesh-eating bacteria syndrome, necrotizing soft tissue infection (NSTI), fasciitis necroticans
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ n ɛ k r ə ˌ t aɪ z ɪ ŋ ˌ f æ ʃ i ˈ aɪ t ɪ s / or / ˌ f æ s -/
- Specialty
- Infectious disease , emergency medicine , general surgery , orthopedics
- Symptoms
- Severe pain , fever , purple colored skin in the affected area
- Usual onset
- Sudden, spreads rapidly
- Causes
- Multiple types of bacteria , occasional fungus
- Risk factors
- Poor immune function such as from diabetes or cancer , obesity , alcoholism , intravenous drug use , peripheral artery disease
- Diagnostic method
- Based on symptoms, medical imaging
- Differential diagnosis
- Cellulitis , pyomyositis , gas gangrene , toxic shock syndrome or toxic shock-like syndrome , pyoderma gangrenosum , deep vein thrombosis , Mucormycosis , brown recluse spider bite
- Prevention
- Wound care , handwashing
- Treatment
- Surgery to remove the infected tissue , intravenous antibiotics
- Prognosis
- ~30% mortality with treatment, ~100% mortality without treatment
- Frequency
- 0.7 per 100,000 per year
via Wikipedia infobox
Research
6,873 papers- Necrotizing fasciitis a review.Polski przeglad chirurgiczny · 2022
- Periorbital necrotizing fasciitis.Survey of ophthalmology · 2022
- Early diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis.The British journal of surgery · 2014
- Necrotizing fasciitis.The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons · 2009
- Necrotizing fasciitis.Saudi medical journal · 2001
via PubMed
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- symptom or sign
- Subclass of
- disease
- Image
- Necrotizing fasciitis left leg.JPEG
Show 7 more facts
- NCI Thesaurus ID
- C84916
- health specialty
- infectious diseases
- Commons category
- Necrotizing fasciitis
- ICPC 2 ID
- L87
- exact match
- identifiers.org/doid/DOID:9602
- ICD-9-CM
- 728.86
- on focus list of Wikimedia project
- WikiProject Medicine
via Wikidata · CC0
~25 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Blackish discoloration with vesicle formation on the thigh in a case of necrotizing fasciitis Necrotizing fasciitis (NF), also known as flesh-eating disease or flesh-eating bacteria, is an infection that kills the body's soft tissue. It is a serious disease that begins and spreads quickly. It is sometimes incorrectly labeled flesh-eating virus. Symptoms include red or purple or black skin, swelling, severe pain, fever, and vomiting. The most commonly affected areas are the limbs and perineum.
Bacterial infection is by far the most common cause of necrotizing fasciitis. Despite being called a "flesh-eating disease", bacteria do not eat human tissue. Rather, they release toxins that cause tissue death. Typically, the infection enters the body through a break in the skin, such as a cut or burn. Risk factors include recent trauma or surgery and a weakened immune system due to diabetes or cancer, obesity, alcoholism, intravenous drug use, and peripheral artery disease. It does not usually spread between people. The disease is classified into four types, depending on the infecting organisms. Medical imaging is often helpful to confirm the diagnosis.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “necrotizing fasciitis” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.