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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffYour bones are normally resistant to infection. For osteomyelitis to occur, a situation that makes your bones vulnerable must be present.
Recent injury or orthopedic surgery
A severe bone fracture or a deep puncture wound gives infections a route to enter your bone or nearby tissue. Surgery to repair broken bones or replace worn joints also can accidentally open a path for germs to enter a bone.
Circulation problems
When blood vessels are damaged or blocked, your body has trouble distributing the infection-fighting cells needed to keep a small infection from growing larger. What begins as a small cut can progress to a deep ulcer that may expose deep tissue and bone to infection. Diseases that impair blood circulation include:
- Diabetes
- Peripheral arterial disease, often related to smoking
- Sickle cell disease
Invasive medical tubing
Medical tubing connects the outside world with your internal organs. While these tubes often are a medical necessity, they can also serve as expressways for germs entering your body. Invasive medical tubing puts you at an increased risk of an infection in general, which can lead to osteomyelitis. Examples include:
- Dialysis machines
- Urinary catheters
- Long-term intravenous tubing, sometimes called central lines, which can remain implanted in your body for months or years
Intravenous street drugs
People who use intravenous street drugs are more likely to develop osteomyelitis because they typically use nonsterile needles and don't sterilize their skin before injections.
- Fort GG, et al. Osteomyelitis. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2010. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/191358793-4/974051922/2088/463.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05609-0..00024-1--sc0070_9510. Accessed March 26, 2010.
- Chihara S, et al. Osteomyelitis. Disease-a-Month. 2010;56:6.
- Lalani T. Overview of osteomyelitis in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 26, 2010.
- Infections. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00197. Accessed March 26, 2010.
- Berbari EF, et al. Osteomyelitis. In: Mandell GL, et al. Mandell, Douglas and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00103-X&uniq=191840490&isbn=978-0-443-06839-3#lpState=opened&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00103-X%3Btype%3DbookPage%3Bisbn%3D978-0-443-06839-3. Accessed March 29, 2010.
- Dabov DB. Amputation for osteomyelitis. In: Canale ST, et al. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/191847540-7/0/1584/111.html?tocnode=55686605&fromURL=111.html. Accessed March 29, 2010.
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