Necrosis or Gangrene

Necrosis, literally translated means the death of cells. It is a condition that is localized, which means that it will only affect certain areas of the body. This is a condition that is not a disease or a problem, but is actually caused as a result of something else. There could be external factors that cause necrosis. Additionally, there are various types of necrosis. To a large extent the term is relatively unknown to the lay man, with necrosis commonly known outside of the medical fraternity as gangrene. The commonest causes of gangrene include the loss of oxygen and blood circulation to the body part that is affected. This leads to the affected body part dying. Most of the time, the only way to get rid of necrosis or to arrest it is by means of amputation. There is no way to bring dead body parts back to life. The symptoms of gangrene are open festering wounds. There may be types of gangrene, such as dry, wet, and what is commonly known as air gangrene. Each are of a different type and each have separate symptoms as well as causes. Wet gangrene is caused due to a lack of blood flow. Dry gangrene happens because of inadequate blood supply. Air gangrene is a result of bacteria that cause toxic gases beneath the skin.

Causes of Gangrene

Gangrene can develop after any traumatic injury. Most of the time, it affects the extremities such as fingers and toes. If allowed to remain unchecked it can proceed backwards too, and the patient can lose a limb quite quickly and easily. An easily identifiable symptom of the onset of gangrene is coldness and discoloration of the skin. You may see it turning blue and becoming dry and papery to touch. If there is gas gangrene, there will be a terrible odor. The patient may experience heaviness of the limbs, which will beyond a point turn into numbness. As said before, there is no treatment for tissue that is dead. It has to be cut away from the body so that the rest of the body can survive. It is inadvisable to imagine a cure of any kind, and delay in amputation can cost the patient his life. Please be aware that necrosis can also be internal, in which case, it cannot be helped most of the time. Timely medical assistance is vital to salvage the situation and help the patient.