![]() Early diagnosis is very important because fast antibiotic delivery may prevent permanent bone loss.Īcute osteomyelitis is a serious bone inflammation that can result from a previous trauma, puncture wound, surgery, bone fracture, abscessed tooth, or infection of soft tissue, the ear or sinus. Bone is usually good at fighting infection, but trauma, bacteremia, surgery, or foreign body insertion may disrupt blood flow and lead to the development of osteomyelitis. In 1844, French physician and renowned surgeon Auguste Nélaton coined the term “osteomyelitis”, which described an infectious condition of the entire bone, but included “itis” in the word so as to make reference to the inflammatory damage. Hippocrates (460-370 BC) also recognized infection after bone fracture, but it was only in 1773 that an Englishman named William Bromfield published on the observed “abcessus in medulla”, referring to the infected fatty tissues within the inner cavity of the bone. This evidence consisted of bone inflammation based on the roughened swollen area above the fracture, hinting that the injury was in fact infected. ![]() Evidence of the disease has been found in the fractured spine of a Permian reptile, close to 250 million years ago. Osteomyelitis is one of the oldest diseases ever recorded. With the appropriate diagnostics, antibiotics can make up the effective treatment regimen, but may include the surgical removal of dead bone in chronic osteomyelitis. Osteomyelitis patients may present with many symptoms, ranging from an open wound that exposes fractured bone, to no obvious skin lesion but with associated swelling, bone pain, lower extremity warmth, and tenderness when examined. This could be because we have gotten better at diagnosing osteomyelitis, but also because the prevalence of certain risk factors is increasing, namely diabetes. The overall observed trend in osteomyelitis is that it has been increasing over the last few decades. Older adults are more prone to osteomyelitis because they experience more disorders that can lead to infection, namely orthopedic surgeries and diabetes mellitus. With respect to the blood-related spread of infection to the bone, which is the most common type in children, the United States estimates 2-5 cases per 10,000 people, with an estimated higher incidence in developing countries. The prevalence of this disease depends on the age group and disease category in question. However, extremities are frequently involved due to skin wounds, trauma and surgeries. In adults, osteomyelitis most often affects the vertebrae of the spine and/or the hips. In order of frequency, osteomyelitis can be the result of a trauma, surgery, or joint insertion or any type of prosthetic material it can be due to lack of blood flow in diabetes associated foot infections, or it can be the result of an infection that has spread via the blood and has reached the bone (seen mostly in prepubescent children or the elderly).Īmong children and teens, the long bones of the legs and arms are most frequently affected. These infections can be due to one, or many types of bacteria and/or fungi. It can occur at any age and involve any bone. Osteomyelitis is caused by an infection of the bone or joint, and can be both acute and chronic. Osteomyelitis can be broken down into “ osteo” meaning bone, and “ myelitis”, meaning inflammation of the fatty tissues within the bone. ![]() Stay Informed With NORD’s Email Newsletter.Find a Rare Disease Patient Organization.Rare Disease Cures Accelerator (RDCA-DAP).Find Clinical Trials & Research Studies.Launching Registries & Natural History Studies. ![]() A Podcast For The Rare Disease Community.
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