Septic Arthritis: Causes, Symptoms, And Treatment

Septic arthritis can cause pain in the joints, fever, and chills. Today we are going to look at the causes, symptoms, and treatments of this condition.

Septic arthritis is a special form of arthritis also known as infectious arthritis. It is the inflammation of a joint caused by an infection. This infection can be bacterial, viral or fungal.

Infections can cause arthritis both directly and indirectly. If it occurs directly, the infectious agent is in the joint. In most cases, however, the infection starts elsewhere in the body and then travels through the bloodstream to the joint.

Septic arthritis can have serious consequences in the joint. Learn more about this type of arthritis in the following article.

Septic arthritis: possible causes

Septic arthritis occurs when pathogenic organisms gain access to a joint. As mentioned earlier, in most cases the infection starts elsewhere in the body and travels to the joint via the blood. However, infections can also arise directly in the joints, e.g. B. as a result of a wound or injury.

Below are a number of situations that increase your risk of developing septic arthritis:

• A bacterial infection in another part of the body.
• Bacteremia, or the presence of bacteria in the blood.
• Surgical interventions on the joint, such as the implantation of a prosthesis.
• Chronic diseases like diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis. The drugs used for this can inhibit the immune system. As a result, people are more prone to infection.
• The abuse of intravenous drugs.
• Arthroscopies
• Trauma
• Skin diseases. For example, psoriasis and eczema increase the risk of developing septic arthritis.

It is important to emphasize that most cases of septic arthritis are caused by bacteria, especially staph and streptococci. Although it can appear at any age, it is most common in infants. It also mainly affects the hip or knee.

Septic arthritis: symptoms

Symptoms of septic arthritis vary depending on the type of infection. Bacterial infections usually only affect one joint – typically the knee or hip. In these cases, any movement of the affected joint is very painful. This pain, as well as other symptoms such as fever and chills, usually develop quickly.

With a viral infection, the symptoms are more insidious. Viral infections are more likely to cause generalized joint pain than pain in just one joint. Fungal infections, on the other hand, are much less common and can have the following symptoms:

• In infants, moving the joint causes crying
• The infection can also cause fever and irritability in infants
• Intense joint pain
• Redness and inflammation
• Light fever
• Pseudoparalysis
• chills

diagnosis

To diagnose septic arthritis, the doctor must take a detailed medical history. In addition, a full physical exam should be performed. Specific symptoms can help doctors make the diagnosis. For example, if gonococci are responsible for the infection, the patients often also develop genital secretions.

In addition, the doctor needs to know if the patient has had another infection recently.

First, the doctors do a blood test. They may also take fluid samples from the joints to analyze under a microscope and start a bacterial culture. This will help them determine if there is an infection and whether or not the type of infection is bacterial.

Doctors may then do an x-ray of the affected joint. X-rays and other diagnostic imaging tests can help assess the damage.

Septic arthritis: treatment

Drainage of the joint is usually necessary to treat septic arthritis. In addition, in the event of bacterial infection, the doctor will prescribe antibiotic agents.

In order to choose the right antibiotic, it is important to know exactly which bacteria are causing the infection. After that, the doctor may prescribe oral antibiotics or give them intravenously. It is also important to consider the patient’s age and medical history. If the infection is viral, doctors usually don’t give specific treatments.

Patients should rest to gain relief from the pain caused by septic arthritis. Cold compresses can provide additional relief. Doctors can also prescribe anti-inflammatory and pain reliever drugs.

The drainage of the joint

To drain the joint, the specialist inserts a needle into the synovial space. He can do this through an arthroscopy or open surgery. If the affected joint is around the hip, it will be more difficult to perform the procedure with a needle. That is why doctors usually opt for a surgical procedure in this case.

Conclusion

It is important to know that septic arthritis most commonly affects infants and immunocompromised people. Therefore, it is important to know about these diseases.

If pain or swelling occurs in a joint, a doctor should be consulted.