Purulent inflammation is a fairly relevant topic for discussion, since recently more and more people have begun to turn to doctors with similar problems. The reasons for such a sharp deterioration in the he alth status of the population can be various factors. We want to talk about them and much more in our article. The collected information is aimed at helping those affected by this disease.
What is inflammation
Purulent inflammation is one of the forms of the disease, and before we begin to deal with its types, we need to understand what it is. Even the ancient healers determined that this is a protective reaction of the human body to an irritant. Both a virus and a splinter can act as an irritant. There are many terms that characterize this process, but the most basic is phagocytosis, which the famous Mechnikov spoke about, that is, the process of destroying an irritating agent inside the cell.
Causes of purulent inflammation
In medicine, several possible reasons are known when putrefaction begins. Among the most common options are:
- getting infections and their toxin into the human body;
- consequences of exposure to external factors such as burns, radiation, frostbite;
- consequences of bruises or other kinds of injuries;
- exposure to chemical irritants;
- internal processes in the body, such as tissue necrosis or s alt deposition.
What happens at the moment when purulent inflammation of tissues begins? To understand the essence, let's take the simplest example: hitting a splinter. When it has just entered the skin, it is absolutely impossible to pull it out, but after a while we can easily remove it from the skin along with pus, which has time to collect during this time. What happened, and why did pus collect, how did purulent inflammation begin? A splinter that has entered the skin is perceived by the body as a foreign body and a threat. How does the body react? It increases blood flow to the affected area, the blood brings with it many useful elements that work like clockwork, and each of them performs its task:
- A platelet sticks together with its own kind and thus forms a protective layer on the wound;
- erythrocyte supplies the affected area of the skin or organ with oxygen;
- plasma brings nutrients for faster wound healing;
- white bodies (leukocytes) fight directly with a foreignbody.
Where does pus come from? The fact is that in the process of struggle, white blood cells die, their role is to wrap around a foreign body, absorb it and destroy it. But, destroying the enemy, the leukocyte itself is destroyed, while acquiring a yellowish color, this is pus. If in the process of fighting the irritant some parts of the skin or organ die off, then the leukocyte also covers the dead parts in order to prevent them from developing the process in the body. Thus, leukocytes pave the way for pus to the top. If you have pain when pressing on a purulent inflammation, it means that the nerve endings were affected here, of which there are a huge number in the body. In this case, you need to carefully examine the affected area so as not to get a complication.
Forms of inflammation
Given where the process began, and how strong or weak the human immunity, we can distinguish the following forms of purulent inflammation:
- Abscess - this is the name of a purulent formation that forms in the tissue, while it is isolated in a separate capsule. The formation of an abscess indicates a person's good immunity. A protective crust immediately begins to form around it, preventing the spread of infection. Often this is characterized by purulent inflammation of the tooth.
- Phlegmon - is characterized by a looser consistency of formation, which most often occurs in the space between the muscles. It is an indicator that a person does not have very good immunity. Most often, the patient is admitted to the hospital for treatmentproblems.
- Empyema is a collection of pus in organs with a hollow structure. In this case, the boundaries of the abscess is the natural tissue of the organ.
Current of purulent inflammation
This kind of inflammation is of two types: acute and chronic. Acute purulent inflammation spreads quite quickly, and soon we can observe a splash of exudate outward, either onto the surface of the skin, or into the adjacent organ cavity. A large amount of pus can lead to intoxication of the body, and, as a result, to its exhaustion. Chronic purulent inflammation changes the composition of the cell, and lymphocytes and microphages begin to appear in its composition. Also, this form is characterized by the formation of scars and hardening, but all this is possible only with the wrong decision.
Outcome
Of course, the outcome of the disease, like any other disease, depends on the correctness of the treatment and the nature of the wound. What should be feared first of all?
- Scars. Few people are decorated with scars after an unsuccessful fight against inflammation.
- Bleeding. If the disease has reached the lymph nodes, then this may be the outcome.
- Gangrene. This is one of the most terrible options, tissue death begins, that is, necrosis.
Purulent inflammation of the skin
Most often we all face this type of inflammation. In what variants can we see it?
- Pyoderma - appearsdue to improper handling of insect bites, small skin incisions, etc. Appears on the skin as small blisters around the wound.
- Follicle - in this case, the hair follicle is at risk, it begins to fester.
- Furuncle is the melting of the hair follicle. The dangerous factor is that it very easily develops into the disease furunculosis, when there are already many such formations.
- Carbuncle - also an abscess on the skin, but large, usually treated with surgical methods, after which a large empty cavity remains in the skin, then scars appear at the site of the wound.
- Hydradenitis is a purulent formation in the groin or armpit in the place where the sebaceous glands are located.
Complications
How the decay process ends depends on several important factors:
- degree of aggression of the annoying element;
- infection penetration depth;
- quality of immunity of the victim.
After the treatment is over and the cavity with pus has emptied, soft tissue remains in its place, which is then replaced by fresh skin, but scarring is possible. If the treatment was not carried out correctly, then a complication process may begin, which does not reflect very well on the human condition:
- pus can spread to other tissues and organs;
- in the process of putrefaction, the infection can enter the blood stream, and as a result, sepsis, bleeding and thrombosis can begin;
- death of skin and organ tissues;
- weakening of immunity and the general condition of the human body, which can lead to underdevelopment of organs.
Treatment
Depending on the severity of the disease, treatment occurs. Both home treatment and surgery are allowed, as well as treatment in a hospital.
Let's consider possible treatment options:
- with an abscess, an incision is made to a person and the cavity where the pus was was washed, the wound is closed from environmental influences;
- with phlegmon, it is necessary to use drugs after opening abscesses and deep cleaning;
- in case of epiema, surgical intervention is necessary, when the tissue of the organ is opened, pus is removed, the cavity is cleaned, then enhanced treatment is carried out aimed at raising immunity and healing the wound.
It is important to know that when treating various kinds of abscesses, it is necessary to avoid contact with water, you can not do any compresses or massages so as not to provoke the spread of infection. The skin needs to be treated with special means for the same purpose. Zelenka and iodine are the most common alcohol solutions used for this purpose.
If you are faced with an elementary splinter, then, of course, you can deal with it at home, but you also need to be very careful. Before removing a splinter, you need to carefully treat both the affected area of \u200b\u200bthe skin and the tool with which you will remove it. After extraction, immediately treat the skin with alcohol and seal the woundpatch until it heals or forms a protective crust.
Antibiotics
The use of antibiotics is allowed only under the strict supervision of the attending physician. Self-medication is not allowed, as this can significantly worsen the patient's condition. Before you start taking the medicine, you need to determine the sensitivity of a person to its components. Of course, it is not recommended to use antibiotics unless they are urgently needed. It is important to remember that the use of antibiotics, especially uncontrolled, can harm the normal functioning of the body. Once you have a suspicion of the presence of purulent inflammation, urgently contact a specialist for help. If you have undergone surgery and left scars, then modern plastic surgery can correct any shortcomings.
