Upper-ear piercing dangers
From
CNN comes a chilling story about ear piercing and possible dangers:
bq. Piercing the upper ear sometimes results in hard-to-treat infections that can lead to permanent disfigurement, according to a study of an Oregon outbreak.
bq. Seven youngsters ages 10 to 19 developed infections after getting their thin upper-ear cartilage pierced at a jewelry kiosk in Klamath Falls, Oregon, in 2000. Doctors documented 18 other suspected cases linked to the store.
The kids caught a Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection from a bottle of disinfectant of all things. The problem with the upper ear is that there are very few blood vessels so once an infection gets lodged in there, regular oral antibiotics don't work -- the tissue has to be 'excised'
Wonderful...
Posted by DaveH at February 25, 2004 4:16 PM