Abscess

The human body always reacts to infection and towards any foreign material and it naturally defends any thing that is harmful to health.

image by preshaa

In this way abscess is one of the body’s natural mechanism of defense to save the body’s health and life and simply an abscess can be defined as the enclosed cavity anywhere in the body containing dead liquid tissues as the result of the reaction of the body.

Generally abscesses are classified in to “septic and sterile” type and septic abscess forms due to infection and it appears anywhere in the body due to defense reaction. Normally white blood cells increase enormously in quantity when germs infect our body and abruptly it accumulates at the sight of infection and emits or produce huge amount of chemicals and enzymes on the germs that infects us. Thus the germs are killed in this defensive attack by the white blood cells and partially digested and rest of which are carried away by circulation and disposed off from the body.

But however, in this fight some tissues of the infected place also digested by the germs. Eventually these all digested particles of germs, digested particles of body tissue, white blood cells and enzymes forms a thick fluid or a liquid, yellow (pus) in color accumulates in a sac called abscess.

Body’s immune system is altered rapidly and it does changes in the infected places where inflammation begins as a first stage and ends in abscess as a last stage. Generally, rapid and unusual huge quantity of blood flow is diverted with increased local raise in body temperature. The inflammated part becomes red and swells and collection of water and other liquid occurs, burning and pain present in the affected inflammated part. Common character of the inflammation is swelling, change in color to red, warmth and pain.

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An abscess is formed after the affected tissue turns in to liquid. The abscess growing in its size as the process liquefying the tissue progresses. The toxic contents of the abscess are released in the body’s circulatory system and symptoms of moderate to severe fever, headache, chills and general disability occurs.

Sterile abscesses are one which is not because of an infection but by drugs. When a drug is administered in to muscles by intra-muscular injection some portions of the drug are not absorbed by body and the unabsorbed drug causes the body to react to the foreign material and hence an abscess is formed and it is called as a sterile form and this type of abscess does not have the sac containing pus, but they become very harder in appearance and they form a mass or a lump which later forms in to scar.

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Normally the human skin is the most important part that is affected by abscesses and it is almost the “pus forming” bacteria “staphylococcus “always causing the skin abscesses. Apart from this all other parts of the body are also affected by abscesses caused by several organisms. Every organ may be affected by abscesses by direct infection or by the infection in the nearer places. For example that throat abscess may have abscess by the infection of the mouth or by the infection of the throat itself.

Some examples of specific abscesses :

• Brain abscess

• Carbuncles, boils and acne scars
  

• Retro-pharyngeal abscess

• Lung abscess

• Liver abscess

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Superficial abscesses can easily be diagnosed and identified by inflammation, pain, redness and swelling. Abscesses of other internal organs show only generalized symptoms like fever and it does not easily help in diagnosing the abscess where it is formed. But the history and other relevant associated symptoms can give a clue to identify the organ that is affected. For example, the history of the recent changes in the bowel movement may help in giving the clue of the abscess in the bowels.

Every abscess is removed and the contents are drained out by surgery by various methods. In skin abscesses, the hot compresses are used to break down the abscesses earlier.

Abscesses in rare cases rupture themselves and leave the toxic and infectious substances in to blood stream and it may affect all other organs which are even fatal. Earlier diagnosis and treatment with suitable medication to stop the infection will help in easier recovery. Abscess can also be avoided by earlier treatment.

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