Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Necrotizing fasciitis history and symptoms
Introduction
Overview
Overview
During early stages, the symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis are non-specific. Symptoms include fever, nausea, and fatigue.[1][2]
History
History
Specific areas of focus when obtaining a history from the patient include history of:[1][2]
- Minor trauma
- Insect and human bites (soft tissue injury penetrating lesions)
- Recent surgery
- Injection sites
- Illicit intravenous drug use
- Previous MRSA colonization or clindamycin-resistant streptococcal infection
- Skin infection and ulcers
- Foreign travel (resistant or unusual organisms)
- Trauma involving soil contamination (fungal culture)
- Raw seafood ingestion
- Wound exposure to sea water
- Tonsillitis
- Close contacts with impetigo or sore throat
- NSAID‘s use
- Vaginitis
- Immunosupression
- Diabetes mellitus
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Alcoholism
- Carcinoma
- Smoking
- Varicella infection
- Burns
Symptoms
Symptoms
| Type 1 NF | Type 2 NF |
|---|---|
| • Intense pain (out of proportion to examination) • Numbness • Fatigue • Fever • Altered sensorium |
• Intense pain (out of proportion to examination) • GI (nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea) • Fever • Flu like symptoms (aches, chills, and fever) • Fatigue |
- Based on severity of symptoms, necrotizing fasciitis is classified into:[3]
- Hyperacute (within 24 h of the inciting event):
- Vibrio species are the notable causative agents
- Extremely fulminant course with considerable involvement of surrounding tissue
- Severe septicemia
- Multiorgan failure
- Sub-acute (indolent):
- Areas of soft tissue infections with minimal pain and discomfort
- Progress over weeks to months
- Hyperacute (within 24 h of the inciting event):
References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Puvanendran R, Huey JC, Pasupathy S (2009). “Necrotizing fasciitis”. Can Fam Physician. 55 (10): 981–7. PMC 2762295. PMID 19826154.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Taviloglu K, Yanar H (2007). “Necrotizing fasciitis: strategies for diagnosis and management”. World J Emerg Surg. 2: 19. doi:10.1186/1749-7922-2-19. PMC 1988793. PMID 17683625.
- ↑ Wong CH, Wang YS (2005). “The diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis”. Curr Opin Infect Dis. 18 (2): 101–6. PMID 15735411 PMID 15735411 Check
|pmid=value (help).
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Yamuna Kondapally, M.B.B.S[2]