Osteomyelitis refers to an infection in the bone. Most commonly, osteomyelitis occurs due to an infection in the bloodstream but can occur in the bone itself due to injury if the bone is exposed to germs. Symptoms of osteomyelitis include fever or chills, irritability and lethargy, pain in the infected area and swelling, warmth and redness near the infected area. Osteomyelitis can cause permanent injury if left untreated.
Bone Death
A bone infection may prevent blood from circulating to the bone cells depriving them of oxygen and nutrients and causing the bone to die. This is known as bone death or osteonecrosis. When osteonecrosis occurs, surgeons must remove the dead bone to prevent it from breaking off into the bloodstream. The the infected bone is not removed it can weaken the surrounding bone causing it to collapse. During osteonecrosis, people will experience intense pain in the joint that may increase over time. Other symptoms include pain that occurs at the infected site while resting and groin pain if the hip joint is affected. Physicians may surgically remove the just the infected piece of bone or amputate a large portion if there is a chance of the necrosis spreading.
Septic Arthritis
Septic arthritis refers to an infection in the joint. Septic arthritis occurs when bacteria or fungi spread from other infected areas of the body, such as bone or the bloodstream, and settle into the joint. Septic arthritis most commonly affects only one joint. Bacteria most commonly attack the knee joint but can affect other joints such as the hip, ankle, wrist and shoulder, according to MayoClinic.com. Symptoms of septic arthritis include fever, shaking chills, severe pain in the affected joint, swelling of the affected joint and warmth in the area of the affected joint. Physicians commonly treat septic arthritis with target specific antibiotics.
Impaired Growth
Children most commonly develop osteomyelitis in the soft areas known as growth plates at either end of the long bones of their arms and legs. When osteomyelitis infects children, normal growth can be interrupted due to damage of the growth plates. Treating the osteomyelitis early can help lower the risk of long term damage to the bone and the child's growth.
Skin Cancer
According to MayoClinic.com, people with osteomyelitis who have an open sore that drains into the surrounding tissue are at increased risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer. The American Cancer Society explains that about two out of every 10 skin cancers are squamous cell carcinomas. Squamous cell carcinomas appear on areas most commonly exposed to the sun such as the face, ear, neck, lip and back of the hands. They tend to be more aggressive than other types of skin cancers. Patients who have suffered from a bout of osteomyelitis are more likely to develop a type of squamous cell carcinoma that invades fatty tissues just beneath the skin. This may lead to the cancer spreading to the lymph nodes. Treatment of squamous cell carcinoma depends largely on the stage of the carcinoma as well as the health of the patient.
