Symptoms of gangrene are important to detect on time!

In the event that normal blood circulation and innervation of organs or tissues are broken, gangrene may develop in them - the symptoms of this disease are composed of several rather complex symptom complexes, the role and significance of each of which should be assessed only by a qualified specialist.

Signs of the disease

It is important to remember that the symptoms of gangrene can affect both a very small part of the body and the whole organ. The first signs of gangrene appear quickly enough after the supply of blood and oxygen to tissues is disrupted - it is proved that the further the affected tissue or organ is located from the heart, the easier it is to develop this type of disease.

That's why any type of tissue necrosis most often affects the limbs, and gangrene of the legs becomes the complication that so often complicates the course of uncompensated diabetes and other conditions complicated by impaired peripheral circulation in the tissues. If the patient develops gangrene, the signs of the disease manifest primarily a change in color, and the normal color of the skin( pink or pale pink) is replaced by a sharp whitening, blueing or blackening of the skin, which becomes visible even to the layman's eye.

Why does the disease occur?

It is important to remember that in each specific case, when there is gangrene - the causes of this condition consist in changing the normal blood supply or blood supply and innervation of tissues. The reasons may be:

Exposure to external factors:

1. mechanical injury;
2. chemical trauma;
3. exposure to temperature( too high or too low);
4. radiation injury.
5. Influence of internal factors:
   • development of arterial thrombosis;
   • occurrence of sclerotic or inflammatory changes in the inner shell of vessels.

And under the influence of external factors, and with the influence of internal factors in the source of the disturbed circulation, infection can occur, which inevitably leads to the development of putrefactive septic tissue melting. If the infection does not participate in the development of the disease, gangrene remains aseptic. A gas wound wound remains a special variant of gangrene, the main developmental conditions of which are disruption of blood circulation and innervation in peripheral tissues with the simultaneous ingress through damaged skin or mucous membranes of special microorganisms developing without access to atmospheric air( anaerobic microorganisms).

Diabetic gangrene

In diabetes mellitus, an excessive amount of glucose in the blood serum, which can not be absorbed by the body tissues, has a damaging effect on the blood vessels, which causes the development of atherosclerotic changes in the vessels, and at the same time damage to nerve fibers.

Signs of the disease

If gangrene develops in diabetes mellitus - symptoms of the disease can occur at any level of blood glucose and the prescription of violations of carbohydrate metabolism( that is why treatment of any increase in glucose level is required).The first symptoms of gangrene may be:

• tingling in the lower extremities, especially in their peripheral parts;
• occurrence of edema in the absence of pathology of the heart and kidneys;
• changes in the structure of the foot - a "diabetic" stop is formed;
• cooling of the peripheral part of the foot - the foot and lower leg;
• discoloration of the skin in individual parts of the legs - there is local redness or whitening of the skin;
• structural changes in nails - there is thickening of the nail plates, their color changes, and signs of a fungal infection that poorly respond to therapy are revealed.

As in all other cases, with diabetes mellitus, symptoms of dry and wet gangrene may develop. Dry, against diabetes mellitus often develops in the first type of disease in patients with water-electrolyte metabolism and exhaustion. Such necrosis develops slowly enough and the tissues have time to mummify, wrinkle and blacken.

The first ghost of dry gangrene is the simultaneous appearance of pain, skin discoloration, cooling of the limb, while numbness and loss of sensation develop after a while. Circulation ceases almost completely, therefore, the products of tissue disintegration into the body come in limited quantities and the overall condition of patients varies insignificantly.

Wet gangrene in diabetes mellitus develops more often in the second type of disease in overweight patients - blood circulation is disrupted, and does not stop completely, therefore, decay products actively enter the body, provoking the appearance of signs of severe intoxication. When the disease occurs, the symptoms of the disease appear gradually - a pallor of the limb and congestion of the veins appear, bubbles are formed, after the opening of which the tissue masses begin to disintegrate with the appearance of a sharp and unpleasant odor. The patient has severe pain and signs of intoxication, requiring immediate and active treatment.

Gas gangrene

If a patient with circulatory disturbances receives special anaerobic microorganisms, a gas gangrene develops - the causes of the disease are not only in blood flow disorders, but also in the effect of special microbes on tissues, the main condition of which is the lack of access to atmospheric oxygen. It is for this type that gangrene of the intestine can develop( in its content there are always anaerobes, development which is restrained by normal local immunity of healthy tissues) or gall bladder gangrene that occurs when microorganisms enter the organ from the intestinal lumen. In addition, the transmission of gas gangrene in the defeat of peripheral tissues is the penetration of infection through the wounds of the skin, in which access to oxygen stops - with deep damage and contamination of the wound.

Spores of microorganisms begin to develop without access to oxygen, and in the event that gangrene develops - the symptoms of the disease develop very quickly after injury. Toxins destroy the muscle and connective tissues of the body( there is a breakdown of proteins and carbohydrates, during which a special gas accumulates in the tissues).

If anaerobic gangrene develops, the symptoms of the disease are the appearance of pain and changes in the condition of the tissues, a discoloration occurs a little later. When pressing on the wound area, the swelling of the tissues and the sound of crunching, tissue crepitations are felt.