A boil is a painful, ugly ulcer. First there is a pimple in which pus or pus with blood begins to collect. These types of spots indicate a bacterial disease caused by staphylococcus. What are the causes of a boil and how do I get rid of it?
Boilsare painful abscesses, most often caused by staphylococcus aureus. Most of us are carriers of this bacteria. Symptoms usually occur when the body's immunity decreases - the staphylococcus penetrates the hair follicle, sebaceous gland or the wound or scratches on the skin, where it multiplies and causes inflammation.
The reason may be a decrease in immunity caused by hypothermia, fatigue, a history of infection, malnutrition. When the problem recurs or becomes chronic (furunculosis), it may be a skin or systemic disease.
The boil is accompanied by swelling, redness and a purulent plug,which are the result of inflammation of the follicle and surrounding tissue. Usually, the course of the skin disease is mild, gangrene breaks through itself, but sometimes serious he alth complications appear.
Symptoms of a boil
Typicalboilit is very painful ulcer oinflammatory basis, which is most often formed on the face, neck, chest, buttocks. First, a red, taut sclerosis appears, which transforms into a pustule - a purulent (or purulent-bloody) plug forms on the infiltrated, red, swollen base.
The patient feels bad, has elevated temperature and painful lymph nodes located closest to the lesion. At some point, gangrene bursts and cleans itself, thanks to which the patient feels relief - the wound heals for several days.
It happens that after cleansing and during healing, the remains of boils appear on the patient's body pustules - then the disease becomes chronic andcan last for years , which, as you can guess, is very tiring and burdensome, as well as embarrassing, especially if not very aestheticboilsappear on face.
Read:Which staphylococcus is responsible for the skin changes: cutaneous staphylococcus or golden staph?
What does a boil look like? See gallery
See the gallery of 6 photos
Boils are commoncompanion of other diseases
People with reduced immunity who suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes, kidney and liver diseases, obesity, alcoholism, cancer, HIV and AIDS are particularly at risk of developing boils.
Many people carry staphylococcus, which is found in the throat, nose, scalp, and skin folds. In the case of weakened or decreased immunity, the staphylococcus present on the skin becomes a threat to humans.Boilmay also appear in pruritic skin diseases (scabies, AD, eczema) as a complication of the disease.
Boil and diabetes
Skin changes are one of the first symptoms of diabetes. Excess blood sugar leads to atherosclerotic changes in the capillaries, which results in skin malnutrition. It becomes dry, susceptible to cuts and abrasions. The sick person can scratch themselves, wounds are difficult to heal and can easily become infected with staphylococci. Diabetes is diagnosed by a fasting blood glucose test and an oral glucose loading test.
Boil and kidney disease
Renal failure contributes to immune disorders caused by a decrease in the absolute number of lymphocytes in the blood and impaired leukocyte function. One of the symptoms of the disease is also itching; It provokes scratching, additionally contributing to the formation of microdamages which increase the likelihood of skin infections.
Diagnosis is made on the basis of an interview and blood tests (complete urine count, urinalysis, calcium, creatinine, fasting glucose) and ultrasound of the urinary system.
Boil and HIV
HIV infection impairs the immune system. One of the first symptoms is recurring, chronic infections, including skin infections (mycosis, purulent infections). The diagnosis is made by an anti-HIV antibody test.
Boils and cancer
Tumors also contribute to the secondary weakening of immunity, increasing the tendency to skin infections, because neoplastic cells secrete immunosuppressive factors, disrupting the immune system. Specialized tests are used to diagnose, but the initial test is blood count.
Boils and skin diseases
Boilsmay be a complication of diseases that deteriorate the condition of the skin, such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, scabies. The skin of AD patients is dry, sensitive to irritation, and therefore prone to infections. Also in psoriasis, the skin shows microdamages that facilitate the penetration of bacteria.
In scabies, damage is caused not only by the disease-causing parasite, but byalso the patient himself, undergoing compulsion to scratch. The diagnosis is facilitated by skin changes typical of these diseases.
Worth knowingBoil treatment: abscess drainage and antibiotics
If left untreated, the boil should rupture by itself, shedding the mucus. At home, you can make compresses with a disinfectant solution, e.g. rivanol or altacet. After the plug has drained out, the wound should be disinfected with salicylic alcohol, and the plug should be covered with an ointment with an antibiotic. However, it is better to show the boil to the doctor and follow his recommendations. Especially if the boil does not rupture by itself for a long time and the symptoms are particularly troublesome.
In the case of a single boil, the doctor will recommend topical antibiotic treatment, make an incision and drain the abscess. For multiple pustules (cluster boils), antibiotics are often used by mouth or intravenously in a hospital. The boil should be treated, because its appearance (especially if it occurs collectively) may lead to sepsis and other serious complications, including endocarditis or bone marrow inflammation.Boilscan relapse. Repeated infections are an indication for antibiotic therapy, which may be continued for over a month.
Self-treatment and attempts to squeeze or cut boils are not recommended - it is absolutely inadvisable if the boil is on the face (especially in its central part) - there is a risk of infection and inflammation spreading to the adjacent veins, deep into the skull (and lead to cavernous sinusitis).
Cavernous sinusitis is a life-threatening condition. It is accompanied by high fever, chills, stiff neck, pain and swelling of the eyelids, and sometimes eye movement disorders leading to double vision.