What is bone marrow inflammation

Inflammation of the bone marrow, also known as osteomyelitis. This is also a disease with a very high incidence rate. It may occur during bone surgery, bone and joint infection, or contaminated fractures. This is an inflammatory disease, the onset of which is often related to blood sources or factors such as surgery and trauma. So what is bone marrow inflammation? How should we treat bone marrow inflammation?

Infections are caused by blood-borne microorganisms (hematogenous osteomyelitis); spread from infected tissue may include infection of joint replacements, contaminated fractures, and bone surgery. The most common pathogens are Gram-positive bacteria. Osteomyelitis caused by gram-negative bacteria may occur in drug addicts, patients with sickle cell disease, and patients with severe diabetes or trauma. Fungal and mycobacterial infections are often confined to the bone and cause painless, chronic infections. Risk factors include wasting diseases, radiation therapy, malignancy, diabetes, hemodialysis, and intravenous drug use. In children, any process that causes bacteremia may predispose to osteomyelitis.

Clinical manifestations

Osteomyelitis refers to an inflammatory disease caused by purulent bacteria infecting the bone marrow, cortical bone and periosteum. Most of them are caused by blood-borne infections, but also by trauma or surgical infections. Most of them are caused by purulent bacteria and toxins from furuncles or other lesions entering the blood and reaching the bone tissue. The ends of the bones of the limbs are most susceptible to invasion, especially the hip joint. Clinically, repeated attacks are common, which seriously affect physical and mental health and work ability. Acute osteomyelitis presents with high fever and local pain at the onset, and when it turns into chronic osteomyelitis, there will be ulceration, pus discharge, dead bone or cavity formation. Severely ill patients are often in danger of their lives, and sometimes amputation is the only emergency measure that has to be taken, causing the patient to become disabled for life.

Possible complications of chronic osteomyelitis include the following:

1. deformity

Due to the stimulation of inflammation on the epiphysis, the affected limb grows excessively and becomes longer, or due to the destruction of the epiphyseal plate, the development is affected, resulting in limb shortening, one side of the epiphyseal plate is destroyed, the development is asymmetrical, and the joint becomes varus or valgus deformed; due to soft tissue scar contracture, flexion deformity may also occur.

2. Ankylosis

As the infection spreads into the joints, the articular cartilage surface is destroyed, causing the joints to become fibrous or bony ankylosis.

3. Cancer

The skin at the sinus opening may become cancerous due to constant irritation, the most common of which is squamous cell carcinoma.