What is osteomyelitis?
Osteomyelitis is an infection of the marrow of the bone. It is a serious condition that requires prompt treatment with antibiotics and may need hospitalisation or surgery.
Osteomyelitis can be caused by a number of different bacteria, however the most common is staphylococcus aureus, which is found on the skin.
Typically, bone is not exposed to bacteria, however when there is a fracture or other trauma such as orthopedic surgery, or where there is a bacterial infection in the blood, bone can become infected.
Most often, it is the bones of the leg that are infected, but it can happen to any bone in the body.
The symptoms of oeteomyelitis include pain, redness and sometimes swelling around the area of infected bone. The patient also feels generally unwell.
Diagnosis of osteomyelitis can be made by X-ray, but MRI is more reliable.
The type of bacteria causing the infection can be identified by blood tests or by taking a biopsy of the infected bone.
It is important to try to identify the causative organism in order to determine which antibiotics will work best.
MRSA can be a cause of osteomyelitis and it is particularly difficult to treat.
Treatment of osteomyelitis involves administration of antibiotics, usually given intravenously.
High doses are given in order to achieve sufficient concentration within the bone. Treatment usually lasts for several weeks but can take months.
The prognosis of osteomyelitis is good, if detected early. In some cases, surgery may be required to remove dead or infected bone, and in rare cases, amputation may be required if the bone has irreversibly broken down.
There are no specific preventative measures that can be taken against osteomyelitis, however there are risk factors.
These include, having recently broken a bone, or having had recent bone surgery, having a weakened immune system or using intravenous drugs.
