Causes of Abscess
List of causes of Abscess
Following is a list of causes or underlying conditions
(see also Misdiagnosis of underlying causes of Abscess)
that could possibly cause Abscess includes:
More causes:
see full list of causes for Abscess
Abscess Causes: Book Excerpts
Abscess as a complication of other conditions:
Other conditions that might have
Abscess as a complication may,
potentially, be an underlying cause of Abscess.
Our database lists the following as having
Abscess as a complication of that condition:
Abscess as a symptom:
Conditions listing Abscess
as a symptom may also be potential underlying causes of Abscess.
Our database lists the following as having
Abscess as a symptom of that condition:
Medications or substances causing Abscess:
The following drugs, medications, substances or toxins are some of the possible
causes of Abscess as a symptom.
This list is incomplete and various other drugs or substances
may cause your symptoms.
Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using,
including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.
Read more about medication causes of Abscess
Related information on causes of Abscess:
As with all medical conditions,
there may be many causal factors.
Further relevant information on causes of Abscess may be found in:
Causes of Abscess: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the causes of Abscess.
Liver abscess:
Causes and incidence
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
In pyogenic liver abscesses, the common infecting organisms are Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Bacteroides, and enterococcus. The infecting organisms may invade the liver directly after a liver wound or they may spread from the lungs, skin, or other organs by the hepatic artery, portal vein, or biliary tract. Pyogenic abscesses are generally multiple and commonly follow cholecystitis, peritonitis, pneumonia, and bacterial endocarditis.
An amebic abscess results from infection with the protozoa Entamoeba histolytica, the organism that causes amebic dysentery. Amebic liver abscesses usually occur singly, in the right lobe.
There are 8 to 16 cases of liver abscess for every 100,000 people hospitalized, and there is a 5% to 30% mortality rate. Most cases occur in people in their 60s and 70s.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Anorectal abscess and fistula:
Causes and incidence
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
The inflammatory process that leads to abscess may begin with an abrasion or tear in the lining of the anal canal, rectum, or perianal skin and subsequent infection by Escherichia coli, staphylococci, or streptococci. Trauma may result from injections for treatment of internal hemorrhoids, enema-tip abrasions, puncture wounds from ingested eggshells or fish bones, or insertion of foreign objects. Other preexisting lesions include infected anal fissure, infections from the anal crypt through the anal gland, ruptured anal hematoma, prolapsed thrombosed internal hemorrhoids, and septic lesions in the pelvis, such as acute appendicitis, acute salpingitis, and diverticulitis. Systemic illnesses that may cause abscesses include ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. However, many abscesses develop without preexisting lesions.
As the abscess produces more pus, a fistula may form in the soft tissue beneath the muscle fibers of the sphincters (especially the external sphincter), usually extending into the perianal skin. The internal (primary) opening of the abscess or fistula is usually near the anal glands and crypts; the external (secondary) opening, in the perianal skin.
The peak incidence of anorectal abscess occurs in people in their 30s and 40s, but there’s also a high occurrence in infants. Men are affected two to three times more often than women. About 30% of patients have a previous history of abscess.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Throat abscesses:
Causes and incidence
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Peritonsillar abscess is a complication of acute tonsillitis, usually after streptococcal or staphylococcal infection. It occurs more commonly in adolescents and young adults than in children.
Acute retropharyngeal abscess results from infection in the retropharyngeal lymph glands, which may follow an upper respiratory tract bacterial infection. Most common pathogens are beta-hemolytic Streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus. These lymph glands begin to atrophy after age 2. Acute retropharyngeal abscess most commonly affects infants and children younger than age 2.
Chronic retropharyngeal abscess may result from tuberculosis of the cervical spine (Pott’s disease) and may occur at any age.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Perirectal abscess and fistula:
Causes
(Handbook of Diseases)
The inflammatory process that leads to abscess may begin with an abrasion or tear in the lining of the anal canal, rectum, or perianal skin, and subsequent infection by Escherichia coli, staphylococci, or streptococci. Such trauma may result from injections for treatment of internal hemorrhoids, enema-tip abrasions, puncture wounds from ingested eggshells or fishbones, or insertion of foreign objects.
Other preexisting lesions include infected anal fissure, infections from the anal crypt through the anal gland, ruptured anal hematoma, prolapsed thrombotic internal hemorrhoids, and septic lesions in the pelvis, such as acute appendicitis, acute salpingitis, and diverticulitis. Systemic illnesses that may cause abscesses include ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. However, many abscesses develop without preexisting lesions. Other causes include trauma, malignancy, radiation, infectious dermatitis, and an immunocompromised state.
As the abscess produces more pus, a fistula may form in the soft tissue beneath the muscle fibers of the sphincters (especially the external sphincter), usually extending into the perianal skin. The internal (primary) opening of the abscess or fistula is usually near the anal glands and crypts; the external (secondary) opening, in the perianal skin.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Brain abscess:
Causes
(Handbook of Diseases)
A brain abscess usually occurs secondary to some other infection, especially otitis media, sinusitis, dental abscess, and mastoiditis. Other causes include subdural empyema; bacterial endocarditis; human immunodeficiency virus infection; bacteremia; pulmonary or pleural infection; pelvic, abdominal, and skin infections; and cranial trauma, such as a penetrating head wound or compound skull fracture.
This condition also occurs in about 2% of children with congenital heart disease, possibly because the hypoxic brain is a good culture medium for bacteria. Common infecting organisms are pyogenic bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus viridans. Penetrating head trauma or bacteremia usually leads to staphylococcal infection; pulmonary disease, to streptococcal infection. In up to 25% of patients, an original source isn’t discovered.
Pathophysiology
A brain abscess usually begins with localized inflammatory necrosis and edema, septic thrombosis of vessels, and suppurative encephalitis. This is followed by thick encapsulation of accumulated pus, and adjacent meningeal infiltration by neutrophils, lymphocytes, and plasma cells. Increasing pressure in the brain results in more damage.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Lung abscess:
Causes
(Handbook of Diseases)
A lung abscess is a manifestation of necrotizing pneumonia, commonly the result of aspiration of oropharyngeal contents. Poor oral hygiene with dental or gingival (gum) disease is strongly associated with a putrid lung abscess. Septic pulmonary emboli commonly produce cavitary lesions. Infected cystic lung lesions and cavitating bronchial carcinoma must be distinguished from lung abscesses.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Liver abscess:
Causes
(Handbook of Diseases)
Underlying causes of liver abscess include benign or malignant biliary obstruction along with cholangitis, extrahepatic abdominal sepsis, and trauma or surgery to the right upper quadrant. Liver abscesses also occur from intra-arterial chemoembolizations or cryosurgery in the liver, which causes necrosis of tumor cells and potential infection.
The method by which bacteria reach the liver reflects the underlying causes. Biliary tract disease is the most common cause of liver abscess. Liver abscess after intra-abdominal sepsis (such as with diverticulitis) is most likely to be caused by hematogenous spread through the portal bloodstream. Hematogenous spread by hepatic arterial flow may occur in infectious endocarditis. Abscesses arising from hematogenous transmission are usually caused by a single organism; those arising from biliary obstruction, by mixed flora. Patients with metastatic cancer to the liver, diabetes mellitus, or alcoholism are more likely to develop a liver abscess. The organisms that predominate in liver abscess are gram-negative aerobic bacilli, enterococci, streptococci, and anaerobes. Amebic liver abscesses are caused by Entamoeba histolytica.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
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