Fournier's Gangrene Looks Like Frostbite Except For Its Location

Diabetes Drug Infection Lawsuit News

While frostbite causes the tissue of the fingers and toes to die, Fournier's Gangrene starts near the genitals

Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - WebMD.com addresses Fournier's Gangrene and gives its readers insight into what to do if you are afflicted with the genital flesh-eating disease. Gangrene is often associated with the extremities, i.e., the fingertips, toes, the tip of the nose, etc., and usually occurs from getting frostbite. Frostbite is defined by the Mayo Clinic as "an injury caused by freezing of the skin and underlying tissues. First, your skin becomes very cold and red, then numb, hard and pale. Frostbite is most common on the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks, and chin. Exposed skin in cold, windy weather is most vulnerable to frostbite." Fournier's Gangrene is a much more insidious type of tissue death as it usually begins in the region of the body between one's anus and scrotum and quickly spreads to the penis, anus, and small intestines, usually requiring amputation. More than half of Fournier's gangrene patients die from not recognizing and treating the disease soon enough, however, those that live often wish they hadn't. Fournier's gangrene victims experience a frostbite-like blackening of the scrotum and penis resulting in the unmistakable stench of tissue death. There is no reversing Fournier's gangrene once it has taken hold. The emergency medical treatment entails debridement which is the removal of dead and damaged tissue leaving remaining healthy tissue.

The most likely cause of Fournier's gangrene according to the US Food and Drug Administration is taking certain types of diabetic drugs that weaken the immune system allowing the flesh-eating bacteria to enter underneath the skin. Individuals have filed lawsuits against major pharmaceutical companies that failed for years to warn them that Fournier's Gangrene was a potential consequence. If you are over 50 years old and taking diabetic medication, or have an elderly loved one doing so, and develop Fournier's Gangrene a Fournier Gangrene attorney may be able to help you file a claim against drug's manufacturer.

Developing Fournier's gangrene from taking diabetic drugs like Invokana should be taken seriously and the genital region of elderly people should be carefully monitored. In the FDA's own words, "In 2017, an estimated 1.7 million patients received a dispensed prescription for an SGLT2 inhibitor from U.S. outpatient retail pharmacies.7 Although most cases of Fournier's gangrene have previously been reported in men, our 12 cases included 7 men and 5 women. Fournier's gangrene developed within several months of the patients starting an SGLT2 inhibitor and the drug was stopped in most cases. All 12 patients were hospitalized and required surgery. Some patients required multiple disfiguring surgeries, some developed complications, and one patient died." The FDA has identified popular diabetes medications: Invokamet, Invokamet, Farxiga, Jardiance, and Steglatro, among others as having caused Fournier's Gangrene. The FDA has positively identified 55 cases of Fournier's Gangrene reported to them however, there may be thousands more that were never reported or were mistaken for more common necrotizing fasciitis.

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Lawyers for Fournier's Gangrene

OnderLaw, LLC is a St. Louis personal injury law firm handling serious injury and death claims across the country. Its mission is the pursuit of justice, no matter how complex the case or strenuous the effort. The Onder Law Firm has represented clients throughout the United States in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation such as Pradaxa, Lexapro and Yasmin/Yaz, where the firm's attorneys held significant leadership roles in the litigation, as well as Actos, DePuy, Risperdal and others. The Onder Law Firm has won more than $300 million in four talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuits in St. Louis. Law firms throughout the nation often seek its experience and expertise on complex litigation.