A carbuncle is an abscess that develops under the skin when staph bacteria infect multiple hair follicles. The infection starts as a painful, pea-sized red lump and then swells over the next few days, sometimes growing as large as a golf ball, according to MayoClinic.com. If you develop carbuncles during pregnancy, seek medical care quickly to prevent complications that could harm you or your baby.
Risk Factors
During pregnancy, you may experience skin changes that increase your risk of developing carbuncles. Pregnancy hormones can cause you to develop acne or intensely itchy skin. Both conditions weaken your skin, and if you pick at your pimples or scratch yourself, you can create cuts that allow staph bacteria entry through your skin. Pregnancy also naturally weakens your immune system, making it more difficult to fight infections. If you develop gestational diabetes -- as approximately 4 to 7 percent of pregnant women do, according to the website "What to Expect" -- your immune system will have an even harder time preventing infections.
Complications
Carbuncles usually resolve without complications, but when complications develop, they can be very serious. If bacteria from a carbuncle gets into your bloodstream, the bacteria can spread throughout your body, infecting your heart, bones and other organs. Without prompt treatment, this blood poisoning can lead to permanent organ damage, amputations or even death. Severe blood poisoning infections are the second-leading cause of pregnancy-related maternal deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. If your carbuncle is caused by a drug-resistant staph bacteria, it can be very difficult to treat. As many as half of the staph bacteria in a hospital show some resistance to antibiotics, according to the MayoClinic.com. Pregnant women who develop carbuncles after receiving hospital treatment may have contracted these dangerous bacteria.
Seeking Treatment
Because complications from carbuncles can be so dangerous in pregnancy, you should seek medical treatment promptly if you develop one. Carbuncles that grow very large, are extremely painful or appear around your eyes or nose require medical care. See your doctor immediately if red lines extend from the center of the carbuncle, you develop a fever or your lymph nodes swell. These symptoms may mean that the infection in the carbuncle has spread.
Treatment Methods
To treat a carbuncle, your doctor may make an incision in it to drain the pus. Draining the carbuncle will help the infection heal, lessen your pain and help prevent scarring. You may also receive an antibiotic. Make sure your doctor knows you are pregnant so he can choose an antibiotic that is safe for pregnancy. Never try to drain a carbuncle yourself by squeezing it. The pus contains staph bacteria and can spread the infection to other parts of your body or other people.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Boils and Carbuncles
- March of Dimes: Skin Changes
- Cleveland Clinic: Colds and Pregnancy
- What to Expect: Gestational Diabetes During Pregnancy
- Sepsis Alliance: Sepsis and Pregnancy
- World Health Organization: Maternal Mortality
- University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics: Boils and Carbuncles
