How to Find Out if You Have Septic Arthritis

The most dangerous form of arthritis is septic arthritis. It is highly unusual, but when it strikes, the results can be devastating. This form of arthritis must be diagnosed and subsequently treated rapidly. Failure to do so can result in completely debilitated joints in a short time span.

Septic arthritis is results from a bacterial infection. There are few methods that medical professionals can use to diagnose the condition. Blood tests can determine if a patient is infected. Joint or spinal fluid can also be tested to confirm the diagnosis. X-rays of affected joints can also help doctors provide a diagnosis.

Since it is a bacterial infection, the course of treatment involves antibiotics. However, the dose of antibiotics has to be carefully figured in order to destroy all the bacteria. The only way to determine this is by an examination of synovial fluid. The particular type of bacteria must be identified in order to select the appropriate antibiotic to use.

Anywhere between two and ten people per one hundred thousand are diagnosed with this type of arthritis. The most common symptom is an individual swollen joint, usually in the knee, but other areas such as the ankles, hips and wrists can also be affected. Certain predispositions to septic arthritis can come from poor immune system functioning, using needles to administer drugs, having sexually transmitted disease and other bodily trauma.

If you want to find out more information on septic arthritis, you can learn a lot about it on the Internet. Run a Google search for arthritis and a variety of resources will be at your fingertips. There is so much information on the web that you will have an inexhaustible supply of research reports, testimonials, treatments and other information. Take your time and learn as much as you can. If you think you may have septic arthritis, hurry to a doctor before further damage is done.