RESUMO
AIM: The object of this study was to describe the course of Fournier's gangrene and assess quality of life in a group of affected patients. METHOD: We evaluated patients who received inpatient treatment for Fournier's gangrene at five hospitals in northern Germany from 1995 to 2010. Surviving patients were asked to take part in a clinical follow-up and complete the Short-Form 36 (SF-36) quality-of-life questionnaire and a disease-specific questionnaire including a physical examination. RESULTS: Of the 86 patients, 72 (83.7%) were men. The mean age of the patients was 57.9 ± 13.9 (25-89) years. The mean length of hospital stay was 52.0 ± 54.0 (1-329) days. Fourteen (16.3%) patients (eight men) died primarily from Fournier's gangrene. The most common aetiological event was anogenital abscess formation (n = 24; 27.9%). Seventy-one (82.5%) patients had a mixed polymicrobial infection. SF-36 physical role functioning (P = 0.010), physical functioning (P = 0.008), general health (P = 0.010) and physical health summary (P = 0.006) scores were significantly lower than those of the normal population. Deterioration in sexual function was reported by 65% of the patients. CONCLUSION: Patients with Fournier's gangrene experience persistent physical and mental health problems for a long period of time following their primary hospital stay and must receive long-term care from a variety of specialists, otherwise the disease leads to an increase in the duration of morbidity and a decrease in quality of life.