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Immunology => Diabetes Mellitus => Gangrene
Gangrene
Gangrene, mass death or necrosis of individual cells or tissues of a living organism. The immediate physiological cause of gangrene is blockage of arterial blood supply. Among the symptoms of gangrene are loss of sensation and function. The affected part, usually a limb, becomes cold, turns progressively darker in colour, and finally undergoes decomposition. Gangrene may take two forms, dry gangrene or moist gangrene.
Dry, or chronic, gangrene occurs when the arteries are blocked gradually and the tissues are bloodless. It may be a result of arteriosclerosis or may follow frostbite, injury, or the vascular collapse that can accompany diabetes.
If the dead, bloodless tissue becomes infected by the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium, the condition is called moist, or acute, gangrene. It is also known as gas gangrene because of its putrid-smelling, gaseous discharge. The victim's temperature rises sharply, and he or she suffers great pain, acute anaemia, and prostration. Moist gangrene may follow contamination of a wound with dirt or other infected matter. It once occurred frequently with war wounds and still occurs among diabetics and after abortions performed under unsanitary conditions. Moist gangrene is fatal unless treated with antibiotics. In severe cases amputation is necessary.
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