Fournier's Gangrene Looks Like Frostbite Except For Its Location
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.
More Recent Diabetes Drug Infection Lawsuit News:
- Heart Disease Patients May Soon Be Prescribed Farxiga | 7/23/2020
- Diabetic Drug Farxiga Emerges As A Potential Cause of Fournier's Gangrene | 7/20/2020
- Diabetic Drug Companies Fail To Adequately Warn Patients of The Dangers of Developing Fournier's Gangrene | 7/15/2020
- A High Profile Fournier's Gangrene Victim May Serve To Increase Public Awareness | 6/25/2020
- The Flesh-Eating Disease Could Grow Exponentially in Summer of 2020 | 6/16/2020
- AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical Web Site Warns Patient About Possible Bacterial Infections | 6/5/2020
- New Fournier's Gangrene Victim Files Lawsuit Against AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | 6/3/2020
- Fornier's Gangrene is Easily Overlooked And Could be Called Complications From the Coronavirus | 5/26/2020
- Diabetic Nursing Home Patients May Be Dying From Fournier's Gangrene | 5/15/2020
- Diabetic Patients Taking SGLT2 Diabetic Drugs Could Be At Risk of Dying from COVID19 | 4/27/2020
- Fournier's Gangrene More Likely Than Nursing Home Neglect In Patient's Death | 4/9/2020
- Nursing Homes Need To Pay Attention To Diabetic Patients Developing Fournier's Gangrene | 3/31/2020
- New Warning For SGLT2 Diabetes Drugs Include Fournier's Gangrene | 3/19/2020
- Popular Diabetic Drug Companies Are Warned To Alert Diabetic Patients of the Risks of Developing Fournier's Gangrene | 3/12/2020
- Patient's Fournier's Gangrene Can Be Mistaken For Ordinary Nursing Home Neglect | 3/5/2020
- Nursing Home Patients Taking Diabetic Medication Must Be Monitored For Fournier's Gangrene | 2/25/2020
- Simple Necrotizing Fasciitis Can Lead To Gruesome Fournier's Gangrene | 2/7/2020
- Fournier's Gangrene Can Cause Elephantitis of the Scrotum | 2/3/2020
- Diabetic Drugs Linked to Fournier's Gangrene May Treat Heart Conditions | 1/29/2020
- The Annals of Medicine Examines the Relationship Between Certain Diabetic Drugs and Fournier's Gangrene | 1/8/2020
- Diabetic Medications Can Cause Fournier's Gangrene And Other Health-Threatening Conditions | 12/31/2019
- Fournier's Gangrene Can Leave a Survivor Severely Depressed | 12/20/2019
- Woman's Cosmetic Surgery Leads to Flesh-Eating Disease of the Genitals | 12/16/2019
- Women Diagnosed With Orbital Necrotizing Fasciitis | 12/2/2019
- The Flesh-Eating Disease Has Made The News In 2019 | 11/22/2019
- Diabetic Drugs Can Weaken The Immune System Leading To Fournier's Gangrene | 11/11/2019
- SGLT-2 Drug Makers Are Being More Forthcoming About Links To Fournier's Gangrene | 10/31/2019
- Drug Marketers Are Finding Creative Applications For SGLT-2 Drugs Ignoring The Risk of Fournier's Gangrene | 10/24/2019
- Patient Contracts Flesh-Eating Disease While Giving Birth in a New York Hospital | 10/15/2019
- Weakened Immune Systems May Be The Cause of The Outbreak in Flesh-Eating Disease | 10/3/2019
- Fournier's Gangrene Stories Are One More Shocking Than Then The Last | 10/2/2019
- Sodium-Glucose Blocker Drugs and The Flesh-Eating Disease | 9/18/2019
- Diabetic Patients Are At Risk For Developing Fournier's Gangrene Mistaken as The Ordinary Flesh-Eating Disease | 9/2/2019
- SGLT2 Inhibitor Drugs Can Now Include Reducing Heart Disease on Their Labels In Europe | 8/29/2019
- Fournier's Gangrene Can Develop In Elderly Nursing Home Patients | 8/23/2019
- Elderly Diabetic Patients Are At Risk For Fournier's Gangrene | 8/7/2019
- Florida Nursing Home Death May Have Been From Fournier's Gangrene | 8/1/2019
- There is an Outbreak of The Flesh-Eating Disease Along America's Eastern Beaches | 7/23/2019
- Fournier's Gangrene Should Not Be Confused With Everyday Necrotising Fasciitis | 7/11/2019
- Johnson & Johnson Needs To Do More To Alert Diabetics of The Flesh Eating Disease Caused By Invokana | 6/28/2019
- Diabetic Patients Living in Warmers Climates Are More at Risk to Contract Fournier's Gangrene | 6/13/2019
- The Warm Water Gulf of Mexico May Be a Breeding Ground For The Flesh Eating Disease Bacteria | 6/7/2019
- Diabetic Patients in Nursing Homes Are Ground Zero For Fournier's Gangrene | 5/30/2019
- Several New Cases Of Flesh Eating Disease Have Been Recently Reported | 5/23/2019
- Cases Of Fournier's Gangrene Increases From 12 to 55 In The Latest Peer Reviewed Medical Study | 5/13/2019
- People Are Developing The Flesh-Eating Disease In Various Ways | 4/30/2019
- Most Doctors Remain Unaware of Fournier's Gangrene and May Misdiagnose Patients | 4/19/2019
- World Governments Are Expressing Concern That Certain Diabetes Drugs Can Cause Fournier's Gangrene | 4/15/2019
- Diabetic Drugs Can Have Serious Side Effects | 4/2/2019
- Necrotising Fasciitis Effects Everyone From All Walks of Life | 3/29/2019
- Cases of Fourniers Gangrene Are Steadily Increasing Around The World | 3/25/2019
- Global Warming and Climate Change May Be Contributing to Increases In Flesh Eating Diseases | 3/11/2019
- Early Warning Signs That You May Have Fournier's Gangrene or Other Flesh-Eating Disease | 3/6/2019
- Scientists Are Encouraged By Data From Flesh-Eating Disease Studies | 2/25/2019
- The Brief History of Fournier's Gangrene | 2/20/2019
- FDA and CDC Warn About Flesh-Eating Diseases | 2/18/2019
- Diabetic Drug Warnings Admit to Causing Narcotizing Fasciitis Not Fournier's Gangrene Specifically | 2/11/2019
- Fournier's Gangrene Statistics May Be Greater Than Reported | 2/5/2019
- Diabetic Patients and Others Are At Risk For Fournier's Gangrene | 1/29/2019
- Fournier's Gangrene Frequently Asked Questions | 1/23/2019
- Diabetes Drugs Must Include Fournier's Gangrene Warning | 1/18/2019
- A Nursing Home's Elderly Diabetic Population Most at Risk For Fournier's Gangrene | 1/10/2019
- Diabetic Patients Should Be Vigilant In Watching For The Symptoms Of Fournier's Gangrene, A Flesh-Eating Disease That Can Affect The Genital Region | 1/4/2019
- An Indian Man Has Died of Fournier's Gangrene in a UK Hospital | 12/31/2018
- Pictures of Fournier's Gangrene Are Grotesque and Indescribable | 12/22/2018
- A Florida Nursing Home Patient Death Could be the 13th Case of Fournier's Gangrene | 12/20/2018
- Florida Man Dies From Genital Gangrene Quite Possibly Fournier's Gangrene | 12/15/2018
- The FDA's Fournier's Gangrene Warning is Shocking Diabetes Patients | 12/12/2018
- Drug Websites Carry The Clearest Fournier's Gangrene Amputation Warnings | 12/1/2018
- Recent FDA Warning Alerts Diabetes Patients To Watch For Signs of Genital Flesh-Eating Disease | 11/21/2018
- Diabetes Drugs May Cause Flesh-Eating Disease Affecting The Genitals | 11/1/2018
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.