Causes and Symptoms of Bedsores
Bedsores result from prolonged pressure to any body part, particularly pressure occurring over the bony parts. Bedsores are also called skin ulcers or pressure sores and they take the form of cuts, lesions, or swollen blisters.
Who gets bedsores?
Handicapped or bed-ridden patients are the ones most often affected by bedsores due to their inability to change positions frequently enough to reduce the pressure to the same areas over a prolonged period of time.
How serious are bedsores?
Bedsores can be life-threatening if not treated promptly and effectively because continuous pressure on specific parts of the body cuts off blood circulation to the affected areas.
Where do bedsores show up?
The most common areas for bedsores to occur are the lower back, hip, heels, and buttock areas. Other less-often affected areas are the knees, head, ankles, and spine).
The severity of bedsores can be checked by these 4 known stages: 1) reddened skin not turning white when pressure is applied, 2) appearance of blisters, 3) underlying tissue is affected, and 4) underlying muscle or bone is affected.
What can we do if bedsores have already occurred?
If bedsores become deep and affect large areas, they may need surgical intervention. However, if they are detected early and are small, they can be treated by using the suggestions included at the end of this article.
Causes
Bedsores are most commonly caused by restricted activity (confinement to bed or chair), inability to rotate position without help, excessive moisture (accumulating on skin, causing irritation), medications (causing decreased mental alertness), poor dietary habits, and dehydration.
Symptoms
Some of the symptoms of bedsores include moist skin, odor coming from skin, pus, change in color of skin, and lesions, swelling, or blisters on skin.
Helpful suggestions
Change positions at least once every 2 hours; use ripple mattresses (that promote proper blood circulation all over the body); massage and exercise body parts regularly; ensure that skin stays clean and dry.
Use pillows and cushions to help when changing positions; keep check on risk factors which can cause bedsores; maintain proper personal hygiene; give patient plenty of water and nourishment; educate all family members on how to prevent patient from getting bedsores.
Diet
Eat well-balanced meals with extra protein to maintain healthy tissues; eat foods rich in Vitamin C and zinc to promote healing.
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