Frostbite arthropathy - a rare case of osteoarthritis, review of the literature and case presentation

Vol. 60 No. 4, 2019

ROMANIAN JOURNAL of MORPHOLOGY and EMBRYOLOGY

Laszlo Irsay, Rodica Ana Ungur, Ileana Monica Borda, Alina Deniza Ciubean, Iulia Moldovan, Magdalena Rodica Traistaru, Kamal Constantin Kamal, Diana Kamal, Viorela Mihaela Ciortea

Frostbite affects more commonly the northern population then it was suspected earlier, but wherever cold winter occurs, cold caused lesions are reported. Most often, it is described as soft tissue lesions, but deeper structures like tendons, ligaments, muscles, cartilage or bones can be affected. All extremities can be involved; lesions can lead to necrosis and amputations. First documented cases were described during military actions, but occupational or recreational activities can also be a risk factor for frostbite. Frozen or frostbite arthropathy is a rare cause of osteoarthritis. Usually, arthritis appears after a long time after frostbite, it can be decades apart. Frostbite arthropathy can result in different debilitating conditions. The current review describes the most important changes in frostbite and a rare but very serious late complication, which lead to arthropathy.

Corresponding author: Alina Deniza Ciubean, Assistant Lecturer, MD, PhD Student; e-mail: alina_med87@yahoo.com

Download PDF
Download cover
Download contents

Journal archive