Tropical Ulcers: Painful Lesions Common in Hot, Humid Areas with Poor Nutrition and Hygiene

Tropical ulcers (also commonly known as Jungle Rot) are necrotic painful lesions that are a result from a mixed bacterial infection. These ulcers are common in hot humid tropical or subtropical areas. They are usually found on the lower legs or feet of children and young adults. Typically, the ulcers have a raised border, and a yellowish necrotic base. The ulcers may heal spontaneously, but in many instances extension may occur which results in deep lesions that can penetrate into muscles, tendons and bone.

If the so called Jungle Rot goes untreated it can result in much scar tissue and disability. A person can contract this disease or disorder in the skin from having preexisting abrasions or sores that sometimes begin from a mere scratch. The majority of tropical ulcers will occur below the knee of the patient, usually around the ankle. These lesions can sometimes also occur on the arms, but it is more likely to occur on the lower parts of the body. Most of the people who get this ulcer are subjects with poor nutrition which puts them at a higher risk, or people who do not wear socks or proper footwear and clothing.

Jungle rot has been described as a disease of the "poor and hungry'. Urbanization of populations could be a factor in the disorder seeing as tropical ulcers are usually a rural problem. Sometimes outbreaks can occur; one was recorded in Tanzania in sugarcane workers cutting the crops while barefoot. Another piece of information on these ulcers is that males are more commonly infected than females. There are not really any symptoms from having a tropical ulcer. You are simply Just infected in some way and the ulcer appears. It is initially circular, superficial, very painful, and has purple edges.

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It will enlarge rapidly across the skin and down into deeper tissues such as the muscle or even the periosteum, which is the fibrous membrane covering the surface of bones. Tropical ulcers (or Jungle Rot) are known to reach several centimeters in diameter after a couple of weeks. The edges will become thickened and raised at this stage of the ulcers growth. The central crater may also become necrotic, or blackened due to the death of tissue. Sometimes, the ulcer becomes foul smelling and quite simply, very nasty looking or else disgusting.

Luckily, there are some known treatments for hese ulcers, although not all of the ulcers are treatable. In the early stages of the ulcers growth antibiotics such as penicillin or metronidazole can be used in combination with a topical antiseptic to reduce the size of the ulcer and ultimately clear the ulcer up altogether. For other subjects, if you simply improve nutrition and vitamins into their diet the ulcer can be healed. Sometimes if you Just keep the infected area clan or elevated the area becomes well. In extreme cases, amputation is necessary, but most of the time the Tropical ulcer can be treated with success.

The reatments are usually quite affordable, it all Just depends on the person being treated and the amount ot money they nave . This disorder is also curable. The ulcers are known to go away in time as little as a week after being treated. Once a person has been ridded of the ulcer life can go on as normal if the treatment was successful. Sometimes there are complications with the skin pigmentation of the patient after treatment. Victims have been known to have different colors such as bright red, blue, and green around and on the infected area. It is even rare for there to be a color hange from regular pigmentation to orange.

Although life goes on normally for some, for others it is different. If a patient's ulcer grew deep into large muscles or a bone, they can be left walking with a limp or other things such as not being able to use their arm or fingers in such ways like lifting things that they used to be able to. There are also more serious cases involving amputation that can put a person in a handicapped position such as having to use crutches to help walk or only having one arm which limits very many things. There are known to be outbreaks of tropical ulcers, but nothing is said on a person preading the infection to another person physically.

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