Definition
A boil is a bacterial inflammation that originates from hair follicles. A boil on the finger can be felt as a reddened, overheated, pressure-painful and hard knot. Often the surrounding tissue is also affected.
If several boils on the finger lie next to each other and merge together, a so-called carbuncle develops. If the finger furuncles appear again and again, the expert speaks of a furunculosis. Get general information about furuncles.
Causes of a finger furuncle
A prerequisite for the development of a finger furuncle are injuries to the hairy finger skin. Here both larger injuries, as well as tiny, inconspicuous damage to the skin can be the entry point for certain bacteria. Finger furuncles can be caused by various bacteria.
In most cases, it is staphylococci. They belong to the normal skin flora and only under certain conditions they cause bacterial inflammation and cause, for example, the development of finger furuncle. They penetrate, along a hair follicle, into the injured skin.
Afterwards, a deep inflammatory infiltration develops within a few hours to days. An uncomplicated finger furuncle bursts open on average after about a week. This allows pus to escape and relieves the finger furuncle.
Afterwards it usually heals independently. In most cases a small scar remains. Other possible causes for a finger furuncle are: In addition, the hands are exposed to chemical, mechanical and physical noxae and stimuli, since they are often in direct skin contact with them. This can quickly lead to minor damage and inconspicuous injuries to the finger skin.
- Overstressing of the finger skin, in the form of pressure or friction
- Insufficient hand hygiene
- A weakened immune system
- A diabetes mellitus
- An iron deficiency anemia
Diagnosis of a finger furuncle
The diagnosis of a finger furuncle is a gaze diagnosis. The typical signs of an inflammation appear: In some cases a lighter coloration can be seen in the middle of the furuncle. This marks the pus clot.
In addition, an anamnesis is important in order to be able to draw conclusions about the conceivable causative factors. Especially in the case of recurrent finger furuncles, the cause and, if necessary, the causative underlying disease must be found out. To identify the pathogen, in some cases a smear is taken. If other diseases are possible causes for recurrent furuncles, further examinations are carried out, such as measuring blood sugar levels and taking a blood sample in order to measure certain parameters in the blood.
- Redness
- Overheating
- Swelling
- Pain on touch or pressure.
All articles in this series:
