Sufferers and Symptoms of MRSA

Who suffers with MRSA?

Many healthy people may be carriers of MRSA, often without knowing, but infections caused by MRSA most commonly occur amongst people in a hospital-type setting. This is sometimes referred to as health care-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) and the risk increases the longer a person remains in the setting. This is because hospitals provide the perfect environment for staph infections to thrive.

Those most prone to MRSA infection are already ill and have a weakened immune system as a result. Other risk factors include open wounds, burns or sores. HIV, diabetes and cancer are three illnesses which can place people at particular risk of MRSA infection.

Many people staying in hospital have several of these risk factors at the same time. For example, someone incredibly ill may have undergone invasive procedures, leaving open wounds, and may be bed-ridden, causing bed sores to form. Additionally, urinary catheters or IV drips may be contaminated, which can cause urine or blood infections.

MRSA spreads throughout hospitals via people coming into contact with bed sheets, towels or clothing previously used by someone with MRSA, or by hospital staff accidentally passing the infection from one patient to another. Some wards, such as intensive care units, are more prone to the spread of MRSA than others.

Instances of MRSA caught away from a hospital or care setting is rarer. This type of MRSA is referred to as community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA).

Some of the most common settings in which people may contract MRSA away from a hospital include prisons, homeless shelters, residential homes and military barracks. This is due to their crowded nature and the fact that such places often contain people with poor hygiene standards or people who are at particular risk of infection.

In prisons, intravenous drug use, poor hygiene and the prevalence of open wounds contribute towards the spread of MRSA infections.

The elderly are generally considered to be at higher risk of infection than younger people. In residential homes, MRSA is spread because this risk factor is combined with high instances of illness, as well as many people living in close proximity to each other.

What are the symptoms of MRSA?

As with other forms of staph infection, those who are healthy carriers of MRSA may not suffer any physical symptoms – they might not even be aware that they are carriers. When diagnosed, MRSA can be found on the skin and inside the nose of healthy people however it usually isn’t a risk to people with strong immune systems. In these people, MRSA is usually harmless and does not require treatment.

However, in more serious cases, the staph bacteria may get under the surface of the skin and cause an infection. This is most common in people who have cuts or other open wounds, which then allow the bacteria to enter beneath the skin. In such cases, a person can suffer from a number of physical symptoms, such as abscesses, boils, skin infections and pimples.