Furuncle, furunculosis– acute purulent-necrotic inflammation of the hair follicle (follicle) and the associated sebaceous gland with its surrounding fiber, caused by a pyogenic microbe – staphylococcus aureus. The development of a boil is promoted by constant contamination of the skin and friction with clothing, skin irritation with chemicals, wounds, scratching and other microtraumas, as well as high activity of the sweat and sebaceous glands of the skin, vitamin deficiency, and metabolic disorders. A furuncle can develop on any part of the skin where there is hair. Most often, the boil is localized on the neck (in the back of the head), face, back of the hands, on the lower back. The development of a boil begins with the appearance of a dense painful tubercle or nodule of bright red color, rising above the level of the skin in the form of a small cone. On the 3-4th day, a softening area appears in the center of the tubercle – a purulent “head”. Then the boil breaks through with the release of a small amount of pus. At the site of the breakthrough, an area of necrotic tissue of a greenish color is found – the core of the boil. After 2-3 days, along with pus and blood, the rod is rejected.
The formation of multiple boils is called furunculosis. There are general and local furunculosis. Local, or localized, furunculosis occurs on a limited area of \u200b\u200bthe skin (more often in the neck, lower back, forearms or buttocks) and is due to a violation of sanitary and hygienic rules or improper treatment of a single boil. General, or widespread furunculosis captures large areas of the skin; it often occurs in weakened people (lack of nutrition, hypovitaminosis A, C and group B), who have had severe general infections or who suffer from chronic diseases or metabolic disorders (diabetes, colitis, antacid gastritis, nephritis, anemia, etc.), with severe hypothermia or overheating, prolonged physical fatigue and functional disorders of the nervous system.
Furunculosis can occur acutely and chronically. In the acute form, boils appear simultaneously or over a short period of time, often accompanied by malaise, headache, and an increase in body temperature. In chronic furunculosis, rashes appear with repeated outbreaks over many months as a result of a sharply reduced body resistance.