Necrotizing Fasciitis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Necrotizing Fasciitis - Essay Example He was working at the Hotel Dieu located in Lyon, and described a condition that has similar symptoms to the current descriptions of NF (Misiakos, et al, 1). During the 19th and 20th centuries, cases of NF were rare. It was mainly restricted to military hospitals, although civilian outbreaks were also recorded. However, during the mid 1980s and early 1990s, there was an increase in NF cases worldwide, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of 1999, 600 cases of this disease were reported in the United States. Currently, the number of cases of this disease is 0.4 cases for every 100000 people every year. The incidence rate in children is put at 0.08 cases for every 100000 children every year. In the United States, it is estimated that between 9000 and 11500 cases of NF occur annually with close to 2000 deaths very year. in general, the prevalence of NF is put at 0.4 cases for every 100000 people (Misiakos, et al, 2). Statistics show that the disease mostly affects men compared to women, standing at a ratio of 3:1 (Misiakos, et al, 2). Research has demonstrated that the high prevalence rates in men are as a result of the higher cases of Fournier’s gangrene in men. The mortality rate remains high, standing at between 20 and 40 per cent. It is difficult to give the exact recent case of the disease. However, in America, the recent reported case occurred in February 2014. This was reported in the article by Jackie Farwell (2014) appearing in the Bangor Daily News. The victim was an 18-year old Benjamin LaMontagne from Maine. In general, it is difficult for the CDC and other health organizations to keep track of the occurrences of this disease. As noted in the article b y Farwell (2014), the CDC recognizes that there are many cases of NF that go unreported or undetected, and this makes it difficult to give