About Necrotising fasciitis:
- Necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease, is a rare and life-threatening bacterial infection that affects the tissue under the skin called fascia.
- "Necrotizing" means causing tissue death, and "fasciitis" refers to fascia inflammation, which is tissue under the skin.
- It includes two types:
- Type I, or polymicrobial: This type happens when more than one bacteria, usually a mix of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, causes the infection.
- Type II, or monomicrobial: The monomicrobial form is typically caused by one bacteria, group A streptococcus or Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.
- The infection may get into the body through:
- cuts and scratches
- burns and scalds
- insect bites
- surgery
- injecting drugs
- It is a form of necrotizing soft tissue infection (NSTI). These life-threatening infections affect the skin, muscles, and soft tissue and cause patches of tissue to die.
- Necrotising fasciitis infection typically travels along the fascial plane, which has a poor blood supply, leaving the overlying tissues initially unaffected, potentially delaying diagnosis and surgical intervention.
- It spreads quickly and aggressively in an infected person, causes tissue death at the infection site, and can be deadly if not treated right away.
- Symptoms:
- Early symptoms of this condition include signs and symptoms that resemble those of the flu.
- Later signs and symptoms include Reddened and/or discolored skin, Swelling of affected tissues, Unstable blood flow, Blisters filled with bloody or yellowish fluid, Tissue death (necrosis), Low blood pressure, Sepsis, etc.
- Currently, there isn’t a vaccine to prevent necrotizing fasciitis.
- It’s treated with antibiotics and surgery to remove damaged tissue.
