Life –threatening Necrotizing Fasciitis: a case report

Necrotizing fasciitis is characterized by a rapidly progressing necrosis of subcutaneous fat and fascia that rarely occurs in head and neck. It can be life threatening in the case of late diagnosis and antibiotic therapy and without surgical intervention. It is caused by group A streptococci or by a synergistic combination of aerobe and anaerobe microorganisms and bacterial synergy is an important aspect of the pathogenesis. The disease is most common in diabetics and immuno suppressed patients . Mortality rates have been varied between 8.7% - 74%. Here, a case of necrotizing fasciitis of the neck in a 41- year diabetic woman secondary to odontogenic infection is reported.