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Sub-Category:

Frostbite

Specialty: Emergency and Urgent Care

Category: Environmental and Exposure-Related Conditions

Sub-category: Heat and Cold Injuries

Symptoms:
numbness; tingling; pale or waxy skin; blisters; hardened or blackened skin in severe cases; loss of sensation in the affected area

Root Cause:
Freezing of skin and underlying tissues due to prolonged exposure to cold temperatures, resulting in ice crystal formation in cells.

How it's Diagnosed: videos
Diagnosis is clinical, based on visual examination of the affected area, patient history of cold exposure, and imaging (e.g., X-ray or MRI) to assess tissue damage in severe cases.

Treatment:
Rapid rewarming in warm water (98.6°F to 102.2°F or 37°C to 39°C), pain management, wound care, and sometimes surgical intervention (e.g., debridement or amputation).

Medications:
Analgesics (e.g., ibuprofen ) for pain and inflammation; thrombolytics (e.g., tissue plasminogen activator) or vasodilators (e.g., iloprost ) in severe cases to improve blood flow.

Prevalence: How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Occurs in individuals exposed to freezing temperatures, particularly those engaging in outdoor activities in cold environments.

Risk Factors: Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Prolonged cold exposure, inadequate clothing, smoking, diabetes, poor circulation, and dehydration.

Prognosis: The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Mild frostbite often heals completely with proper care; severe frostbite can lead to permanent tissue damage, amputation, or disability.

Complications: Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Infection, gangrene, nerve damage, and loss of digits or limbs.