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EntityQ164655· pop 91· linked from 827 articles

abscess

Also known as boil, ulcer

An abscess is a collection of pus that has built up within the tissue of the body, usually caused by bacterial infection. Signs and symptoms of abscesses include redness, pain, warmth, and swelling. The swelling may feel fluid-filled when pressed. The area of redness often extends beyond the swelling. Carbuncles and boils are types of abscess that often involve hair follicles, with carbuncles being larger. A cyst is related to an abscess, but it contains a material other than pus, and a cyst has a clearly defined wall. Abscesses can also form internally on internal organs and after surgery.

AI overview

An abscess is a pocket of pus that forms in your body tissue, usually because of a bacterial infection, and typically causes redness, pain, warmth, and swelling in the affected area. They matter because they can occur anywhere in the body—including on your skin or inside your organs—and require proper medical attention to prevent complications.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Medical condition (new).causes: Bacterial infection (often MRSA)
Medical condition (new).risks: Intravenous drug use
Medical condition (new).name: Abscess
Medical condition (new).image: Five day old Abscess.jpg
Medical condition (new).caption: Five-day-old inflamed epidermal inclusion cyst. The black spot is a keratin plug that connects with the underlying cyst.
Medical condition (new).field: General surgery, infectious disease, dermatology, interventional radiology
Medical condition (new).symptoms: Redness, pain, swelling
Medical condition (new).diagnosis: Ultrasound, CT scan
Medical condition (new).differential: Cellulitis, sebaceous cyst, necrotising fasciitis
Medical condition (new).treatment: Incision and drainage, Antibiotics
Medical condition (new).frequency: ~1% per year (United States)
Medical condition (new).onset: Rapid

via Wikipedia infobox

Research

113,228 papers

Management of Mastitis, Abscess, and Fistula.The Surgical clinics of North America · 2022
Abscess Management: An Evidence-Based Review for Emergency Medicine Clinicians.The Journal of emergency medicine · 2021
Brain and Spinal Epidural Abscess.Continuum (Minneapolis, Minn.) · 2018
Gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumor abscess.Revista espanola de enfermedades digestivas · 2023
Management of brain abscess: an overview.Neurosurgical focus · 2008

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Image: Five day old Abscess.jpg

Show 6 more facts

Commons gallery: Abscess
Commons category: Abscesses
ICPC 2 ID: S10
ICD-9-CM: 682.9
NCI Thesaurus ID: C26686
exact match: purl.obolibrary.org/obo/SYMP_0000672

Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~14 min read

Article

25 sections

Contents

Signs and symptoms
Causes
Skin abscess
Anorectal abscess
Incisional abscess
Internal abscess
Pathophysiology
Diagnosis
Classification
IV drug use
Differential
Treatment
Incision and drainage
Antibiotics
Packing
Loop drainage
Primary closure
Appendiceal abscess
Prognosis
Epidemiology
Society and culture
Etymology
Other types
References
External links

They are usually caused by a bacterial infection. Often many different types of bacteria are involved in a single infection. In many areas of the world, the most common bacteria present are methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Skin abscesses in particular are overwhelmingly caused by S. aureus. Rarely, parasites can cause abscesses; this is more common in the developing world. Diagnosis of a skin abscess is usually made based on what it looks like and is confirmed by cutting it open. Ultrasound imaging may be useful in cases in which the diagnosis is not clear. In abscesses around the anus, computer tomography (CT) may be important to look for deeper infection.