Relapse of Adult Bacterial Osteomyelitis Has Predictive Factors
Research recently published in BMC Infectious Diseases shows that several factors can help to predict osteomyelitis relapse among adults. According to a recent report by Infectious Disease Advisor, examples of such factors include osteomyelitis extending for more than three months, bone exposure, and treatment other than surgical debridement with muscular flap.
For the study, researchers reportedly evaluated 116 patients living with osteomyelitis who were followed for at least one year after hospital discharge. The mean age of patients was 53 years, 74.1% were men, and mean follow up was 67.1 months, according to the report. The most common bone and bacteria involved in the cases were the tibia (62.1%) and Staphylococcus aureus (58.5%), respectively, the report claims. Among the patients involved, 46 underwent bone debridement, 61 underwent debridement with flap coverage, and nine received antimicrobial therapy only. Relapse occurred in 26 patients at an average of 11.2 months after discharge, the report states.
Study limitations were noted by researchers, however, related to retrospective studies, a reduced sample size to analyze subgroups, and a long inclusion period, according to the Infectious Disease Advisor report. The researchers also concluded that “the single-center series ensured a greater homogeneity in the evaluation and management of the patients, the very long period of follow-up ensured the detection of late relapses and, finally, the long period of recruitment did not seem to bias the results as the year of diagnosis did not have any significant influence on the outcome,” according to the Infectious Disease Advisor report.
