Necrotizing fasciitis is a serious but rare infection that can be scary. It’s often referred to as the “flesh-eating” disease because it can harm skin, muscles, and tissues. The infection happens when bacteria enter the body through a cut, wound, or even a small break in the skin.
One of the main challenges with flesh-eating disease is that it progresses quickly, and early diagnosis is crucial. The symptoms might start with pain, redness, and swelling in the affected area, and it can escalate rapidly. If you notice these signs, it’s important to seek medical help right away.
Necrotizing fasciitis is not something you can catch from someone else like a cold or the flu. It’s more about bacteria getting into your body. While it’s a severe condition, surviving necrotizing fasciitis is possible with prompt medical attention.
To reduce the risk of necrotizing fasciitis, it’s a good idea to keep wounds clean, cover them with a bandage, and seek medical advice for deep or serious cuts. Maintaining overall good hygiene, like washing hands regularly, can also be helpful in preventing infections. Remember, though it’s a rare condition, being aware and acting quickly can make a big difference if you suspect necrotizing fasciitis.
Types of Necrotizing Fasciitis
There are two kinds of necrotizing fasciitis: one is called polymicrobial (or Type I), and the other is monomicrobial (or Type II).
Polymicrobial necrotizing fasciitis happens when different types of bacteria, both anaerobic and aerobic, cause an infection. On the other hand, monomicrobial necrotizing fasciitis is typically caused by either group A Streptococcus or Staphylococcus aureus.
How is necrotizing fasciitis diagnosed?
If your doctor suspects you might have flesh-eating disease, they will do some tests to check. These tests include:
- Blood tests, like a complete blood count.
- Taking samples from deep inside your body and checking them in a lab (this is called a culture).
- Removing a small piece of tissue for examination (this is called a tissue biopsy).
- Doing special scans, usually a CT scan, to take detailed pictures inside your body.
To be sure if you have necrotizing fasciitis, your doctor will need to do surgery. During the surgery, they will look at your skin and tissues and remove any dead tissue, which is called debriding.
Symptoms of flesh-eating disease
If you have necrotizing fasciitis, you might notice these things:
- Feeling hot with chills
- Feeling like you need to throw up
- Having an upset stomach and diarrhea
- Seeing blisters, sores, or dark spots on your skin
- Feeling really bad pain or not being able to feel near a cut or wound
- Being confused or extra sleepy
- Going into shock
- Having parts of your body get bigger
It’s important to know these signs because they can be different depending on how bad the infection is. Usually, people feel hot, get chills, feel sick to their stomach, and have diarrhea. These are signs that the infection is spreading in the body, and it’s called sepsis.
The infection can also make blisters, sores, or dark spots on the skin, which might mean the tissue is dead or damaged.
If you have a cut or wound, watch out for really bad pain or not being able to feel around it, especially if it hurts a lot more than you’d expect.
Also, pay attention if you feel confused, extra sleepy, or go into shock, which can mean your blood pressure is too low, or your organs are not working well. Swelling, redness, and warmth around the sore area are signs too.
How should you respond if you suspect you have necrotizing fasciitis?
If you think you might have necrotizing fasciitis, it’s really important to act fast.
Waiting too long for treatment can be very serious and even lead to death. So, make sure to get medical help right away by calling 911 or going to the nearest emergency room as soon as you can.
When you go to the doctor, they will check you for signs of necrotizing fasciitis, like really bad pain, swelling, redness, blisters, and changes in skin color. They might also do blood and imaging tests and take samples of tissue to be sure about the diagnosis and find out what kind of bacteria is causing the infection.
If they confirm you have necrotizing fasciitis, they usually treat it with a mix of medicine, surgery, and supportive care. In some cases, the doctor might have to remove the part of your body that’s affected to save your life. It’s a tough decision, but it’s done to keep you safe.
To avoid getting necrotizing fasciitis, which currently doesn’t have a vaccine, follow these steps to lower your chances of bacterial skin infections:
- Be careful to avoid cuts, burns, scratches, or bug bites.
- If you do get a wound, clean it with soap and water, and cover it with a clean bandage until it heals.
- Visit your doctor for deep or serious cuts or punctures.
- Keep your hands clean by washing with soap and water, or use an alcohol-based antibacterial hand sanitizer.
- If you have a break in your skin, avoid swimming pools, hot tubs, or other bodies of water.
Contact your doctor if:
- You see an area that’s discolored and swollen, especially if it’s growing quickly.
- You’re experiencing a lot of pain.
- You develop a fever.
Risk Factors
Certain health conditions and a compromised immune system might increase your likelihood of contracting a severe infection known as necrotizing fasciitis. Here are some things that could raise your risk:
- Drinking too much alcohol
- Having cancer
- Getting chickenpox when you were a kid
- Having liver damage (cirrhosis)
- Having diabetes
- Having heart problems that affect the heart valves
- Having chronic kidney disease
- Having lung problems, like tuberculosis
- Having issues with blood vessels in your arms and legs
- Using steroids
- Using injectable or IV drugs
In really rare cases, problems with your teeth, tonsils, salivary glands, or sinuses could also lead to facial necrotizing fasciitis.
FAQs
What’s the difference between gas gangrene and necrotizing fasciitis?
Gas gangrene affects healthy tissue and causes gas to build up in the tissues. This gas is a waste product produced by germs. Both gas gangrene and Type I necrotizing fasciitis can lead to gas in tissues, but the germs causing each disease are different. Gas gangrene may also involve muscles.
2. Where is necrotizing fasciitis usually found?
Flesh eating disease primarily affects the limbs, fingers, and toes, with a higher occurrence in the lower extremities, particularly the toes and feet, especially in individuals with diabetes. The condition can also impact other areas such as the genitals, head, and neck.
3. Can you survive necrotizing fasciitis?
Yes, survival is possible if you have necrotizing fasciitis, but it’s crucial to diagnose and treat it early.
4. Is necrotizing fasciitis contagious?
It rarely spreads from one person to another, so it’s usually not necessary to give antibiotics to close contacts. However, in severe cases, your healthcare provider might recommend preventive antibiotics for close contacts.
5. How quickly does necrotizing fasciitis develop?
Symptoms of flesh eating disease may appear within 24 hours of getting scratched, bitten, or cut. It worsens rapidly, so watch for areas that look swollen or red and continue to grow. If you notice these signs, seek medical attention promptly.
