Lemierre's syndrome
Lemierre's syndrome (pronounced: leh-mee-air's sin-drome) is a rare medical condition often caused by the bacterium Fusobacterium necrophorum. It is also known as postanginal septicemia and necrobacillosis.
Etymology
The syndrome is named after the French bacteriologist, André Lemierre, who first reported the condition in 1936.
Definition
Lemierre's syndrome is a potentially life-threatening illness characterized by thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein and bacteremia caused by primarily anaerobic organisms, following a recent oropharyngeal infection.
Symptoms
The initial symptoms of Lemierre's syndrome are similar to those of a severe throat infection, including fever, sore throat, and swollen neck glands. As the infection progresses, patients may develop sepsis, pneumonia, and other serious complications.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of Lemierre's syndrome is typically based on clinical findings, blood cultures, and imaging studies such as ultrasound or computed tomography (CT) scans.
Treatment
Treatment typically involves intravenous antibiotics to combat the bacterial infection and, in some cases, anticoagulants to treat the thrombophlebitis.
Prognosis
With prompt diagnosis and treatment, the prognosis for Lemierre's syndrome is generally good, although the condition can be fatal if not treated promptly.
Epidemiology
Lemierre's syndrome is rare, with an estimated incidence of 0.8 to 1 case per million people per year. It most commonly affects healthy young adults.
See also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Lemierre's syndrome
- Wikipedia's article - Lemierre's syndrome
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski