CONDITIONS
HUMAN– This particular virus can only infect human beings.
IMMUNODEFICIENCY– HIV weakens your immune system by destroying important cells that fight disease and infection. A "deficient" immune system can't protect you.
VIRUS – A virus can only reproduce itself by taking over a cell in the body of its host.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a lot like other viruses, including those that cause the flu" or the common cold. But there is an important difference – over time, your immune system can clear most viruses out of your body. That isn't the case with HIV – the human immune system can't seem to get rid of it. >Scientists are still trying to figure out why. We know that HIV can hide for long periods of time in the cells of your body and that it attacks a key part of your immune system – your T-cells or CD4 cells. Your body has to have these cells to fight infections and disease, but HIV invades them, uses them to reproduce itself, and then destroys them. Over time, HIV can destroy so many of your CD4 cells that your body can't fight infections and diseases anymore. When that happens, HIV infection can lead to AIDS.
IMMUNODEFICIENCY– HIV weakens your immune system by destroying important cells that fight disease and infection. A "deficient" immune system can't protect you.
VIRUS – A virus can only reproduce itself by taking over a cell in the body of its host.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a lot like other viruses, including those that cause the flu" or the common cold. But there is an important difference – over time, your immune system can clear most viruses out of your body. That isn't the case with HIV – the human immune system can't seem to get rid of it. >Scientists are still trying to figure out why. We know that HIV can hide for long periods of time in the cells of your body and that it attacks a key part of your immune system – your T-cells or CD4 cells. Your body has to have these cells to fight infections and disease, but HIV invades them, uses them to reproduce itself, and then destroys them. Over time, HIV can destroy so many of your CD4 cells that your body can't fight infections and diseases anymore. When that happens, HIV infection can lead to AIDS.
Medications + a Healthy Lifestyle
We all know that a healthy lifestyle is important. For those living with HIV/AIDS, it’s vital. HIV can be a chronic, manageable disease if you take your HIV medications consistently, visit your primary healthcare provider regularly, and take care of your body. All of these things help to protect your immune system from HIV.
Medications & Therapies
The most effective form of HIV/AIDS treatment is medication called antiretroviral therapy (ART). There are a number of ART medications that work directly on the virus and stop it from replicating itself in your body. Most people on ART take a combination of several medications to keep their HIV disease under control. If the medications are successful, the amount of HIV in your body goes down significantly, and your immune system can stay healthy. For more information, see NIH’s AIDS Medicines
Healthy Living
Treatment for HIV/AIDS is more than just taking pills every day. While medications are essential for treating HIV, a well-balanced and nutritious diet, daily exercise, plenty of rest, and staying current with your medical care are all important pieces of successful treatment. Each of these things helps to boost your immune system and prevent other chronic diseases, such as heart disease, or high blood pressure.
Hepatitis A is a liver infection caused by a virus. It goes away on its own in almost all cases. Hepatitis A does not lead to long-term liver problems.
Other forms of the virus (hepatitis B and hepatitis C) also cause hepatitis. Hepatitis A is the most common type.
How is hepatitis A spread?
The disease is caused by the hepatitis A virus. The virus is found in the stool of an infected person. It is spread when a person eats food or drinks water that has come in contact with infected stool. Sometimes a group of people who eat at the same restaurant can get hepatitis A. This can happen when an employee with hepatitis A doesn't wash his or her hands well after using the bathroom and then prepares food. The disease can also spread in day care centers. Workers can spread the virus if they don't wash their hands well after changing a diaper. Some things can raise your risk of getting hepatitis A, such as eating raw oysters or undercooked clams. If you're traveling in a country where hepatitis A is common, you can lower your chances of getting the disease by avoiding uncooked foods and untreated tap water.
What are the symptoms?
After you have been exposed to the virus, it can take from 2 to 7 weeks before you see any signs of it. Symptoms usually last for about 2 months.
Common symptoms are:
· Feeling very tired.
· Feeling sick to your stomach.
· Not feeling hungry.
· Losing weight without trying.
· Pain on the right side of the belly, under the rib cage (where your liver is).
· A fever.
· Sore muscles.
Older people with hepatitis A may get yellow skin (jaundice), along with dark urine and clay-colored stools.
All forms of hepatitis have similar symptoms. Only a blood test can tell if you have hepatitis A or another form of the disease.
Call your doctor right away if:
· You have any signs of hepatitis A.
· Someone you live with has hepatitis A.
· You have eaten in a restaurant that has had an outbreak of the virus.
· Your child goes to a day care center where hepatitis A has been reported.
How is hepatitis A diagnosed?
Your doctor will ask questions about your symptoms and where you have eaten or traveled. You may have blood tests if your doctor thinks you have the virus. These tests can tell if your liver is inflamed and whether you have antibodies to the hepatitis A virus. These antibodies prove that you have been exposed to the virus.
How is it treated?
Hepatitis A goes away on its own in most cases. You can help yourself get better faster by drinking lots of water and eating a healthy mix of foods.
Unlike other forms of hepatitis, the hepatitis A virus does not lead to long-term illness or serious liver damage. Most people get well within a few months.
While you have hepatitis A, cut back on daily activities until all of your energy returns. As you start to feel better, take your time in getting back to your regular activities. If you try to meet your regular pace too soon, you may get sick again. You can only get the hepatitis A virus once. After that, your body builds up a defense against it.
Can hepatitis A be prevented?
You can protect yourself from hepatitis A by getting a vaccine (Havrix or Vaqta). You will get it in a series of two shots. It is usually 100% effective if you get both shots before you are exposed to the virus. A combination vaccine (Twinrix) that protects against hepatitis A and hepatitis B also is available.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that all children get the hepatitis A vaccine when they are at least 1 year old.
If you have been around someone who you know has hepatitis A, the hepatitis A vaccine or an injection of immune globulin (IG) may prevent you from getting the disease. It’s important for you to get the shot within 2 weeks of being exposed to the virus. Hepatitis A goes away on its own in almost all cases. No medicines are used to treat the illness. Home treatment will usually help relieve your symptoms and help you prevent the spread of hepatitis A virus (HAV).
Slow down
Reduce your activity level to match your energy level. Do not stay in bed, because that may slow your recovery. Don't go to work or school unless your workload can be reduced to match your energy level. Avoid strenuous exercise, until you are fully recovered. As you start to feel better, go back to your regular activities gradually. If you try to meet your regular pace too soon, you may get sick again.
Eat right
Even though food may not appeal to you, it is important for you to get adequate nutrition. Try eating small, frequent meals instead of three large meals. For most people, nausea and loss of appetite don't set in until later in the day. Try eating more in the morning and less later in the day. Try to maintain a balanced diet while eating foods that appeal to you.
Avoid dehydration
It is very important to keep your body well-hydrated when you have hepatitis A, especially if you have been vomiting. Drink plenty of water. If you can tolerate them, fruit juices and broth are other good choices because they provide additional calories. Many of the sports drinks available in grocery stores (such as Gatorade) can help replace essential electrolytes (salts) that are lost through vomiting.
Avoid alcohol and drugs
Hepatitis impairs your liver's ability to break down certain medicines and alcohol. If you take drugs (legal or illegal) or drink alcohol when you have hepatitis, their effects may be more powerful and may last longer. In addition, alcohol and some medicines can make liver damage worse.
Make sure your doctor knows all the medicines you are taking, including herbal products. Do not take any new medicines or stop taking existing prescription medicines without your doctor's approval. Talk to your doctor about when it is safe to drink alcohol in moderation.
Try to control itching
People with hepatitis sometimes develop itchy skin. You can use nonprescription medicines, such as Benadryl or Chlor-Trimeton, to control the itching. Be sure to follow the instructions for use that are provided with the product, and stop using the product if you have any side effects. Tell your doctor before you start any new medicine. Symptoms of hepatitis A usually begin to go away on their own in about 2 weeks. You can still spread the infection to others as long as you have symptoms, because your stools carry the virus.
Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. Most adults who get hepatitis B have it for a short time and then get better. This is called acute hepatitis B.
You can have hepatitis B and not know it. You may not have symptoms. If you do, they can make you feel like you have the flu. But as long as you have the virus, you can spread it to others. Sometimes the virus causes a long-term infection, called chronic hepatitis B. Over time, it can damage your liver. Babies and young children infected with the virus are more likely to get chronic hepatitis B.
What causes hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is caused by the hepatitis B virus. It is spread through contact with the blood and body fluids of an infected person. You may get hepatitis B if you:
· Have sex with an infected person without using a condom.
· Share needles (used for injecting drugs) with an infected person.
· Get a tattoo or piercing with tools that were not cleaned well.
· Share personal items like razors or toothbrushes with an infected person.
A mother who has the virus can pass it to her baby during delivery. If you are pregnant and think you may have been exposed to hepatitis B, get tested. If you have the virus, your baby can get shots to help prevent infection with the virus. You cannot get hepatitis B from casual contact such as hugging, kissing, sneezing, coughing, or sharing food or drinks.
What are the symptoms?
Many people with hepatitis B do not know they have it, because they do not have symptoms. If you do have symptoms, you may just feel like you have the flu. Symptoms include:
· Feeling very tired.
· Mild fever.
· Headache.
· Not wanting to eat.
· Feeling sick to your stomach or vomiting.
· Belly pain.
· Diarrhea or constipation.
· Muscle aches and joint pain.
· Skin rash.
· Yellowish eyes and skin (jaundice). Jaundice usually appears only after other symptoms have started to go away.
Most people with chronic hepatitis B have no symptoms.
How is hepatitis B diagnosed?
A simple blood test can tell your doctor if you have the hepatitis B virus now or if you had it in the past. Your doctor also may be able to tell if you have had the vaccine to prevent the virus.
If your doctor thinks you may have liver damage from hepatitis B, he or she may use a needle to take a tiny sample of your liver for testing. This is called a liver biopsy.
How is it treated?
In most cases, hepatitis B goes away on its own. You can relieve your symptoms at home by resting, eating healthy foods, drinking plenty of water, and avoiding alcohol and drugs. Also, find out from your doctor what medicines and herbal products to avoid, because some can make liver damage caused by hepatitis B worse. Treatment for chronic hepatitis B depends on whether your infection is getting worse and whether you have liver damage. Most people with chronic hepatitis B can live active, full lives by taking good care of themselves and getting regular checkups. There are medicines for chronic hepatitis B, but they may not be right for everyone. Work with your doctor to decide whether medicine is the right treatment for you. Sometimes, chronic hepatitis B can lead to severe liver damage.
Can hepatitis B be prevented?
The hepatitis B vaccine is the best way to prevent infection. The vaccine is a series of 3 or 4 shots. Adults at risk and all babies, children, and teenagers should be vaccinated. A combination vaccine that protects against both hepatitis B and hepatitis A also is available. To avoid getting or spreading the virus to others:
· Use a condom when you have sex.
· Do not share needles.
· Wear latex or plastic gloves if you have to touch blood.
· Do not share toothbrushes or razors.
Treatment of hepatitis B viral (HBV) infection depends on how active the virus is and whether you are at risk for liver damage such as cirrhosis. Short-term (acute) hepatitis B usually goes away on its own. Home treatment is used to relieve symptoms and help prevent spread of the virus. In long-term (chronic) HBV infection, treatment includes monitoring the condition and using antiviral medicines to prevent liver damage. If hepatitis B has severely damaged your liver, a liver transplant may be considered.
Recommendations on who should receive antiviral treatment for chronic hepatitis B is based on the presence of hepatitis B antigens, level of HBV DNA, and the levels of liver enzymes in your blood.
Treatment of short-term (acute) hepatitis B infection
Initial treatment for hepatitis B infection depends on whether you:
· Have been recently infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV).
· Have the symptoms of an acute HBV infection.
· Have chronic HBV infection.
If you believe you have recently been exposed to HBV, you should receive a shot of hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) and the first of three immunization shots of hepatitis B vaccine. It is important to receive this treatment within 7 days after a needle stick and within 2 weeks after sexual contact that may have exposed you to the virus. The sooner you receive treatment after exposure, the more effective treatment is.
If you have the symptoms of acute hepatitis B, treatment with medicine is usually not needed. Home treatment usually will relieve your symptoms and help prevent the spread of the virus. To help relieve symptoms and prevent the spread of the infection:
· Slow down. Reduce your activity level to match your energy level. Don't go to work or school unless your workload can be lightened. Avoid strenuous exercise. As you start to feel better, go back to your regular activities gradually.
· Eat right. Even though food may not appeal to you, it is important to get adequate nutrition. For most people, nausea and loss of appetite become worse as the day goes on. Try eating a substantial (but not heavy) meal in the morning and lighter meals later in the day.
· Drink plenty of liquids to avoid dehydration. It is important that you keep your body well-hydrated when you have hepatitis B, especially if you have been vomiting. Drink plenty of water and, if you can tolerate them, drink fruit juices and broth to obtain additional calories. Rehydration drinks help replenish electrolytes.
· Avoid alcohol and drugs. Hepatitis B makes it difficult for your liver to process drugs and alcohol. If you take drugs (prescription or illegal) or drink alcohol when you have hepatitis, their effects may be more powerful and may last longer. In addition, alcohol and some drugs can make liver damage worse. You should avoid alcohol until your doctor feels that your liver is completely healed, which may take as long as 3 to 4 months. Tell your doctor about all of the prescription and over-the-counter medicines you are taking.
· Try to control itching. People with hepatitis B sometimes develop itchy skin. You might try nonprescription medicines to control itching. But talk to your doctor before taking any over-the-counter medicines.
· Prevent the spread of HBV by informing people you live with or sleep with about the illness, by not sharing personal toiletries (such as razors and toothbrushes), and by using a condom or abstaining from sex.
You may be given medicine to treat an acute hepatitis B infection if:
· Tests continue to detect a certain antigen after 12 weeks.
· Your liver enzyme levels are higher than normal, indicating that you may have some liver damage.
· The amount of hepatitis B virus DNA is high, which means there is a lot of virus in the body (high viral load).
Treatment of long-term (chronic) hepatitis B infection
If you have chronic HBV infection, treatment depends on how active the virus is in your body and the potential for liver damage. The goal of treatment is to stop liver damage by preventing the virus from multiplying.
· Antiviral medicine is used if the virus is active and you are at risk for liver damage. Medicine slows the ability of the virus to multiply.
Antiviral therapy is not recommended for everyone who has a chronic hepatitis B viral infection. Your doctor may recommend antivirals if you have or are likely to develop liver damage, such as cirrhosis.
Whether or not you are taking medicine, you will need to visit your doctor regularly. He or she will do blood tests to monitor your liver function and the activity of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in your body. Some of the tests can determine whether HBV is actively multiplying in your liver, which increases your risk of liver damage, such as cirrhosis or liver cancer. If you develop advanced liver damage because of hepatitis and your condition becomes life-threatening, you may need a liver transplant.
Hepatitis C is a disease caused by a virus that infects the liver. In time, it can lead to permanent liver damage as well as cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver failure. Many people do not know that they have hepatitis C until they already have some liver damage. This can take many years. Some people who get hepatitis C have it for a short time and then get better. This is called acute hepatitis C. But most people who are infected with the virus go on to develop long-term, or chronic, hepatitis C. Although hepatitis C can be very serious, most people can manage the disease and lead active, full lives.
What causes hepatitis C infection?
Hepatitis C is caused by the hepatitis C virus. It is spread by contact with an infected person's blood. You can get hepatitis C if:
· You share needles and other equipment used to inject illegal drugs. This is the most common way to get hepatitis C in the United States.
· You had a blood transfusion or organ transplant before 1992. As of 1992 in the United States, all donated blood and organs are screened for hepatitis C.
· You get a shot with a needle that has infected blood on it.
· You get a tattoo or a piercing with a needle that has infected blood on it. This can happen if equipment isn't cleaned properly after it is used.
In rare cases, a mother with hepatitis C spreads the virus to her baby at birth, or a health care worker is accidentally exposed to blood that is infected with hepatitis C. Experts are not sure if you can get hepatitis C through sexual contact. If there is a risk of getting the virus through sexual contact, it is very small. The risk is higher if your sex partner has hepatitis C or if you have many sex partners. You cannot get hepatitis C from casual contact such as hugging, kissing, sneezing, coughing, or sharing food or drink.
What are the symptoms?
Most people have no symptoms when they are first infected with the hepatitis C virus. If you do develop symptoms, they may include:
· Feeling very tired.
· Joint pain.
· Belly pain.
· Itchy skin.
· Sore muscles.
· Dark urine.
· Yellowish eyes and skin (jaundice). Jaundice usually appears only after other symptoms have started to go away.
Most people go on to develop chronic hepatitis C but still do not have symptoms. This makes it common for people to have hepatitis C for 15 years or longer before it is diagnosed.
How is hepatitis C diagnosed?
Many people find out by accident that they have the virus. They find out when their blood is tested before a blood donation or as part of a routine checkup. Often people with hepatitis C have high levels of liver enzymes in their blood.
If your doctor thinks you may have hepatitis C, he or she will talk to you about having a blood test. If the test shows hepatitis C antibodies, you have had hepatitis C at some point. A second test can tell if you have hepatitis C now.
When blood tests show that you have hepatitis C, you may need a liver biopsy to see if the virus has caused scarring in your liver.
How is it treated?
You and your doctor need to decide if you should take antiviral medicine to treat hepatitis C. It may not be right for everyone. If your liver damage is mild, you may not need medicine. If you do take medicine, the best treatment is a combination of two medicines that fight infection. How well these medicines work depends on how damaged your liver is, how much virus you have in your liver, and what type of hepatitis C you have. Taking care of yourself is an important part of the treatment for hepatitis C. Some people with hepatitis C do not notice a change in the way they feel. Others feel tired, sick, or depressed. You may feel better if you exercise and eat healthy foods. To help prevent further liver damage, avoid alcohol and illegal drugs and certain medicines that can be hard on your liver.
Being diagnosed with hepatitis C can change your life. You may feel angry or depressed about having to live with a long-term (chronic), serious disease. You may have a hard time knowing how to tell other people that you have the virus. It can be helpful to talk with a social worker or counselor about what having the disease means to you. You also may want to find a support group for people with hepatitis C. If you do not have a support group in your area, there are several on the Internet.
You may or may not receive treatment for hepatitis C, depending on how damaged your liver is, other health conditions you have, how much virus you have in your body, and what type (genotype) of hepatitis C you have.
The goal of treatment for hepatitis C is to eliminate the virus from your body early, to prevent serious liver problems. The length of treatment for hepatitis C depends on whether you have a short-term (acute) infection or a long-term (chronic) infection. It may also depend on the type of hepatitis C virus causing the infection and how well the medicine seems to be working.
Treatment of short-term (acute) hepatitis C
Most people with acute hepatitis C do not get treated, because they do not know they have the virus.
If a person knows that he or she may have been exposed to the virus-such as a health care worker who is stuck by a needle-acute hepatitis C can be identified early. Most people who are known to have an acute hepatitis C infection get treated with medicine. In these cases, treatment for acute hepatitis C may help prevent long-term (chronic) infection.
Treatment of long-term (chronic) hepatitis C
It is common for people to live with hepatitis C for years without knowing they have it, simply because they do not have symptoms. Most people diagnosed with hepatitis C find out that they already have long-term, chronic infection. If your blood tests and liver biopsy show that you have chronic infection but no damage to your liver, you may not need treatment. If you do have some liver damage, you may be treated with a combination of medicines that fight the viral infection.
Whether or not you take medicines to treat hepatitis C, you will need to have routine blood tests to help your doctor know how well your liver is working. If you decide not to be treated with medicines, your doctor will want to monitor you closely and may want to do a liver biopsy every 4 or 5 years to check for damage in your liver.
Some people who originally decide not to have treatment for hepatitis C later decide they want to try antiviral medicines.
Antiviral medicines for hepatitis C may not be recommended if you:
· Drink alcohol or use IV drugs. (Although you cannot take antiviral medicines if you use IV drugs, you can take antiviral medicines if you are using methadone.)
· Have advanced cirrhosis.
· Have severe depression or other mental health problems.
· Are pregnant or might become pregnant. Two forms of birth control must be used during treatment and for 6 months after treatment, because the medicines used to treat hepatitis C can harm a fetus.
· Have an autoimmune disease such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or psoriasis, or certain medical problems such as advanced diabetes, heart disease, or seizures.
Many things affect the decision about who should receive antiviral treatment for hepatitis C. For example, treatment may be recommended for people who are at least 18 years old, have detectable levels of the virus in their blood, and have significant liver damage confirmed by a liver biopsy.
Antiviral medicines to treat hepatitis C include:
· Interferons, which are similar to a protein your body makes to fight off infection.
· Combination antiviral therapy with interferons, which increases your chances of getting rid of the virus in your body.
The length of your treatment depends on what hepatitis C genotype you have. Genotype 1 generally is treated for 1 year and genotypes 2 and 3 generally are treated for 6 months. The amount of virus in your body (viral load) will be checked while you are being treated.
Even if medicines are recommended for you, they may not work or they may not work long-term. Chronic hepatitis C infection is cured or controlled in about half of people who are treated with a combination of treatments. Sometimes treatment does not permanently lower the amount of virus in your blood. But some studies have shown that treatment may still reduce scarring in your liver, which can lower your chances of developing cirrhosis and liver cancer.
It is important to weigh the benefits of medicines for hepatitis C against the drawbacks. You most likely do not need to make a quick decision about treatment, because hepatitis C progresses very slowly. Talking with your doctor can help you decide whether medicines are right for you.
Treatment of relapse or non-response
Sometimes you can take more medicine if your first round of treatment did not work very well. The decision to try treatment again is based on how well you tolerated the first treatment, how well the first round of treatment worked, the dose of the first treatment, and the genotype of your virus. Talk to your doctor about whether you might try medicines again.
What To Think About
If you have chronic hepatitis C, you can help keep the disease from getting worse. You can do this by not drinking alcohol, not sharing needles for drug use, eating well, and not taking any herbal supplement unless your doctor tells you it is okay.
There is no vaccine for hepatitis C, but there are vaccines for hepatitis A and hepatitis B. Your doctor may recommend that you have these vaccines to help protect you from more liver problems.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium that causes infections in different parts of the body. It's tougher to treat than most strains of staphylococcus aureus -- or staph -- because it's resistant to some commonly used antibiotics.
The symptoms of MRSA depend on where you're infected. Most often, it causes mild infections on the skin, causing sores or boils. But it can also cause more serious skin infections or infect surgical wounds, the bloodstream, the lungs, or the urinary tract. Though most MRSA infections aren't serious, some can be life-threatening. Many public health experts are alarmed by the spread of tough strains of MRSA. Because it's hard to treat, MRSA is sometimes called a "super bug."
What Causes MRSA?
Garden-variety staph are common bacteria that can live on our bodies. Plenty of healthy people carry staph without being infected by it. In fact, 25%-30% of us have staph bacteria in our noses.
But staph can be a problem if it manages to get into the body, often through a cut. Once there, it can cause an infection. Staph is one of the most common causes of skin infections in the U.S. Usually, these are minor and don't need special treatment. Less often, staph can cause serious problems like infected wounds or pneumonia. Staph can usually be treated with antibiotics. But over the decades, some strains of staph -- like MRSA -- have become resistant to antibiotics that once destroyed it. While some antibiotics still work, MRSA is constantly adapting.
Who Gets MRSA?
MRSA is spread by contact. So you could get MRSA by touching another person who has it on the skin. Or you could get it by touching objects that have the bacteria on them. MRSA infections are common among people who have weak immune systems and are in hospitals, nursing homes, and other heath care centers. Infections can appear around surgical wounds or invasive devices, like catheters or implanted feeding tubes. Rates of infection in hospitals, especially intensive care units, are rising throughout the world.
Community-Associated MRSA (CA-MRSA)
But MRSA is also showing up in healthy people who have not been living in the hospital. This type of MRSA is called community-associated MRSA, or CA-MRSA.
CA-MRSA skin infections have been identified among certain populations that share close quarters or experience more skin-to-skin contact. Examples are team athletes, military recruits, and prison inmates. However, more and more CA-MRSA infections are being seen in the general community as well, especially in certain geographic regions.
It's also infecting much younger people. In a study of Minnesotans published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, the average age of people with MRSA in a hospital or healthcare facility was 68. But the average age of a person with CA-MRSA was only 23.
Osteomyelitis is a bone infection, usually caused by bacteria,that can be either acute or chronic. This disorder usually occurs as a result of an infection in one part of the body that is transported through the bloodstream to a bone in a distant location. Among children and teens, the long bones of the legs and arms are most frequently affected. In adults, osteomyelitis most often affects the vertebrae of the spine and/or the hips. Osteomyelitis is an infection of the bone, a rare but serious condition. Bones can become infected in a number of ways; infection in one part of the body may spread into the bone. An open fracture that exposes bone to the outside world may get infected.
What Causes Osteomyelitis?
In most cases, a bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus, a type of staph bacteria, causes osteomyelitis. Certain chronic conditions like diabetes may increase your risk for osteomyelitis.
Who Gets Osteomyelitis?
The condition affects children and adults, although in different ways. Certain conditions and behaviors that weaken the immune system increase a person's risk for osteomyelitis, including:
· Diabetes (most cases of osteomyelitis stem from diabetes)
· Sickle cell disease
· HIV or AIDS
· Rheumatoid arthritis
· Intravenous drug use
· Alcoholism
· Long-term use of steroids
Bone surgery, including hip and knee replacements, also increase the chance for infection to invade a bone.
Osteomyelitis in Adults
In adults, osteomyelitis can be either acute or chronic. People with diabetes, HIV, or peripheral vascular disease are more prone to chronic osteomyelitis, which persists or recurs, despite treatment. Whether chronic or acute, osteomyelitis often affects an adult's pelvis or vertebrae of the spine. It can also occur in the feet, especially in a person with diabetes.
Symptoms of Osteomyelitis
Acute osteomyelitis develops rapidly over a period of seven to 10 days. The symptoms for acute and chronic osteomyelitis are very similar and include:
· Fever, irritability, fatigue
· Nausea
· Tenderness and swelling around the affected bone
· Lost range of motion
Osteomyelitis in the vertebrae makes itself known through severe back pain, especially at night.
Osteomyelitis Treatment
Figuring out if a person has osteomyelitis is the first step in treatment. Doctors rely on X-rays, blood tests, and bone scans to get a picture of what's going on. They also need to determine the type of organism, typically bacteria, causing the infection so they can prescribe the right medication. Treatment focuses on stopping infection in its tracks and preserving as much function as possible. Most people with osteomyelitis are treated with antibiotics, surgery, or both.
Antibiotics help bring the infection under control and often make it possible to avoid surgery. People with osteomyelitis usually get antibiotics for several weeks through an IV, and then switch to a pill form as appropriate. More serious or chronic osteomyelitis may require surgery to remove the infected tissue and bone. Osteomyelitis surgery prevents the infection from spreading further.
Preventing Osteomyelitis
The best way to prevent osteomyelitis is to keep things clean. If you have a cut, especially a deep cut, wash it completely. Flush out any open wound under running water for five minutes, then bandage it in sterile bandages. If you have chronic osteomyelitis, make sure your doctor knows about your medical history so you can work together to keep the condition under control. If you have diabetes, pay close attention to your feet and contact your doctor at the first sign of infection. The sooner you treat osteomyelitis, the better. In cases of acute osteomyelitis, early treatment prevents the condition from becoming a chronic problem that requires ongoing treatment. Besides the pain and inconvenience of repeated infections, getting osteomyelitis under control early provides the best chance for recovery.