Find Out What Causes Boils?
Boils are red painful bumps filled with pus that can manifest on any part of the body. They occur where there is a lot of rubbing or on the area where the skin is sweaty (neck, buttocks, groin and armpits). If not handled or treated well they can leave scars.
Let us learn about what causes boils:
Causes of boils 1 - Staph bacteria
Most Boils are caused when one or more hair follicle gets infected with Staph bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus). Usually harmless Staph bacteria reside on your skin particularly in the nasal passages.
When a skin is cut or scratched or even when skin breaks, Staph bacteria penetrates the skin. It also penetrates through the sweat glands. The body immune system releases neutrophilis (specialized white blood cells) to the location of entry of bacteria to fight infection. The skin inflames as a result into a boil. This bump or boil gets filled up with pus which is nothing but a mixture of old white blood cells, dead skin cells and bacteria. In fact Staph bacteria not only causes it but also is responsible for pneumonia, meningitis, and urinary tract infections and many other illnesses.
Recent studies show that Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureas (MRSA) which is a virulent strain of staph, is responsible for many skin infections. MRSA is one of the main causes of recurrent boils and is also associated with some blood infections and severe skin infections. MRSA has been found to be resistant to many antibiotics.
Causes of boils 2 – Immune system problems
Many health conditions reduce body’s immune system to fight infection. These medical conditions such as diabetes particularly when being treated with medication, alcoholism, drug abuse, prolonged exposure to petroleum products and other chemical irritants make people more susceptible to skin infections such as boils. In addition poor nutrition and poor hygiene also are responsible for it. People with family history of reoccurring boils also can get it.
Learn more on symptoms, types, prevention methods and home remedies in the other related articles.
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What Causes Boils?