Anyone of any age can get necrotising fasciitis. However, there are some factors that increase the risk of a person getting necrotising fasciitis.
In this article we explore the risk factors of necrotising fasciitis in more detail, explaining who is most likely to get necrotising fasciitis and what should be done when the infection develops.
Necrotising fasciitis risk factors
As mentioned above, necrotising fasciitis can affect any patient, even those who are in perfect health.
Nevertheless, there are some common factors that appear in necrotising fasciitis patients which have contributed towards them getting the disease. The factors that increase the risk of necrotising fasciitis include:
- Type II diabetes (diabetes mellitus)
- Intravenous drug abuse
- Older than 50 years of age
- High blood pressure
- Malnutrition or obesity
- Immunosuppression – either due to illness or medication such as chemotherapy
- Chronic liver or kidney disease
- Recent history of skin trauma – such as a burn, insect bite or surgical wound
In particular, we find that a large number of people making a necrotising fasciitis claim have a history of type II diabetes, obesity and sustained some form of skin trauma.
What to do if you get necrotising fasciitis
Necrotising fasciitis is a medical emergency. Therefore if you develop the symptoms of necrotising fasciitis, you must waste no time in going to Accident and Emergency. The symptoms of necrotising fasciitis are:
- Fever
- Tissue pain that has no obvious cause
- Skin at the site of pain that is red and hot to touch
When a patient presents with these symptoms, immediate investigations should be undertaken to determine the underlying cause. Medical practitioners should be especially suspicious of necrotising fasciitis if a patient is displaying any of the aforementioned risk factors.
Investigations should include blood and urine tests, swab tests of the tissue to be sent for analysis, and if there is any doubt, surgical exploration of the tissue. This should verify whether or not necrotising fasciitis is present.
If so, the patient should be given intravenous antibiotics and take to theatre for surgical debridement. Absolutely no time should be wasted in providing this treatment. It is absolutely paramount that it is completed without delay, or the patient could become critically unwell within hours.
Delay in treatment
If there is a delay in necrotising fasciitis treatment because of medical error, there may be grounds for a medical negligence compensation claim. For more information, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our specialist team of necrotising fasciitis lawyer. We will advise you what action to take next.
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