Necrotizing fasciitis

Necrotising fasciitis
Synonyms	flesh-eating bacteria, flesh-eating bacteria syndrome, necrotizing soft tissue infection (NSTI)
Person with necrotising fasciitis. The left leg shows extensive redness and tissue death.
Pronunciation	/ˈnɛkrəˌtaɪzɪŋ ˌfæʃiˈaɪtɪs/ or /ˌfæs-/
Classification and external resources
Specialty	Infectious disease
ICD-10	M72.6
ICD-9-CM	728.86
DiseasesDB	31119
MedlinePlus	001443
eMedicine	emerg/332 derm/743
MeSH	D019115
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Necrotising fasciitis (NF), commonly known as flesh-eating disease, is an infection that results in the death of the body's soft tissue. It is a severe disease of sudden onset that spreads rapidly. Symptoms include red or purple skin in the affected area, severe pain, fever, and vomiting. The most commonly affected areas are the limbs and perineum.

Typically the infection enters the body through a break in the skin such as a cut or burn. Risk factors include poor immune function such as from diabetes or cancer, obesity, alcoholism, intravenous drug use, and peripheral vascular disease. It is not typically spread between people. The disease is classified into four types, depending on the infecting organism. Between 55 and 80% of cases involve more than one type of bacteria. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is involved in up to a third of cases. Medical imaging is helpful to confirm the diagnosis.

Prevention is by good wound care and handwashing. It is usually treated with surgery to remove the infected tissue and intravenous antibiotics. Often a combination of antibiotics are used such as penicillin G, clindamycin, vancomycin, and gentamicin. Delays in surgery are associated with a higher risk of death. Despite high quality treatment the risk of death is between 25% and 35%.

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