Brodies Abscess

Brodies Abscess is considered to be a common type of subacute osteomyelitis. It is considered to be an infection in the inside of the bone, however, due to the many different kinds of symptoms that this disease comes with, it is almost impossible to diagnose the disease in the first place. This is not considered to be a very common disease and the symptoms are very mild and they can easily be misunderstood.

Diagnosing the Disease

This is a disease that has been wrongly diagnosed many times as a bone tumor, however, the studies of the disease have given it a very specific characteristics and those are of a cavity in the bone that is infected with dark colored pus and which has affected the bone itself by making it harder around the area where the infection is set.

The basic symptoms of Brodies Abscess are regular and strong to severe pain which is normally on the legs. The disease affects people as young as 6 months old and as old as 40 years as well. However, the most common age is between 2 and 15 years. Sex does not seem to matter, however males have a tendency to be more prone to this disease and this disease is very common in countries like Africa where subacute osteomyelitis is very common.

Other areas that this disease affects in the human body include the pelvis, the vertebrae, the clavicle and the talus. However, these kinds of infections in these areas occur much more in adults than on children, and there is a lot of research being done to figure out the reasons for this disease as well.

On proper examination it can be found that these infection is affecting the muscles and tissues in the area where the pain is, however, this pain will not be a very severe one at the onset of the infection and therefore, it becomes very difficult to pinpoint easily.

Importance of Proper Diagnosis

If Brodies Abscess is recognized well in time, this disease can be treated successfully with antibiotics, however, after it reaches certain stage, then it becomes impossible to treat with drugs and surgery is the only way to combat the disease. Unfortunately, because of the vague symptoms, people with Brodies Abscess may not be properly diagnosed until they have had these symptoms for more than 6 months and there are many erroneous diagnoses as well.