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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffWhen gangrene affects your skin, signs and symptoms may include:
- Skin discoloration — ranging from pale to blue, purple, black, bronze or red, depending on the type of gangrene you have
- Severe pain followed by a feeling of numbness
- A foul-smelling discharge leaking from a sore
If you have a type of gangrene that affects tissues beneath the surface of your skin, such as gas gangrene or internal gangrene, you may notice that:
- The affected tissue is swollen and painful
- You're running a fever and feel unwell
A condition called septic shock can occur if a bacterial infection that originated in the gangrenous tissue spreads throughout your body. Signs and symptoms of septic shock include:
- Low blood pressure
- A body temperature greater than 100.4 F (38 C) or lower than 96.8 F (36 C)
- Rapid heart rate
- Lightheadedness
- Shortness of breath
- Confusion
When to see a doctor
Gangrene is a serious condition and needs immediate treatment. Call your doctor right away if you have persistent, unexplained pain in any area of your body along with one or more of the following signs and symptoms:
- Persistent fever
- Skin changes — including discoloration, warmth, swelling, blisters or lesions — that won't go away
- A foul-smelling discharge leaking from a sore
- Sudden pain at the site of a recent surgery or trauma
- Skin that's pale, hard, cold and numb — which may be an indication of frostbite
References
- Neschis DG, et al. Clinical manifestations and evaluation of chronic critical limb ischemia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index/html. Accessed May 16, 2011.
- Park H, et al. Complex wounds and their management. Surgical Clinics of North America. 2010;90:1181.
- Helviz Y, et al. Bad to worse. The American Journal of Medicine. 2011;124:215.
- Sepsis and septic shock. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec06/ch068/ch068a.html. Accessed May 15, 2011.
- Stevens DL, et al. Clostridial myonecrosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 16, 2011.
- Gas gangrene. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/skin/pages/Gas-Gangrene.aspx. Accessed May 16, 2011.
- Mechem C, et al. Frostbite. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index/html. Accessed May 15, 2011.
- Stevens DL. Necrotizing infections of the skin and fascia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index/html. Accessed May 16, 2011.
- Intestinal obstruction. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/print/sec02/ch011/ch011h.html. Accessed May 26, 2011.
- Mandell JE, et al. Necrotizing fasciitis, Fournier's gangrene In: Mandell JE, et al. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?sid=1163686964&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00043-6--s0035&isbn=978-0-443-06839-3&uniqId=251414141-4. Accessed May 23, 2011.
- Mechem C, et al. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index/html. Accessed May 20, 2011.
- Fujiwara Y, et al. Beneficial effects of foot care nursing for people with diabetes mellitus: An uncontrolled before and after intervention study. Journal of Advanced Nursing. In press. Accessed May 26, 2011.
- Saavedra A, et al. Soft-tissue infections: Erysipelas, cellulitis, gangrenous cellulitis, and myonecrosis. In: Wolff K, et al. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2995017&searchStr=gangrene#2995017. Accessed May 27, 2011.
- Coumadin (prescribing information). New York, N.Y.: Bristol-Myers Squibb; 2005. http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2005/009218s101lbl.pdf. Accessed May 31, 2011.
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