Difference Between Dry and Wet Gangrene

The key difference between dry and wet gangrene is that dry gangrene is a result of the blockage of blood supply to local tissues due to conditions such as atherosclerosis, while wet gangrene is a result of infection.

Gangrene is the death of an area of the body caused due to lack of blood supply. There are two types of gangrene as dry gangrene and wet gangrene. Formation of wet gangrene or development of dry gangrene to wet gangrene could result in death if left untreated. Therefore, medical doctors usually recommend the removal of gangrene.

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Dry Gangrene
3. What is Wet Gangrene
4. Similarities Between Dry and Wet Gangrene
5. Side by Side Comparison – Dry vs Wet Gangrene in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Dry Gangrene?

Gangrene refers to dead or dying tissues in the body. It occurs mainly due to the lack of blood supply for the survival of the tissues. Dry gangrene is the less harmful form of gangrene. It occurs due to local tissue death and is eventually removed from the body. However, if the dry gangrene develops into an infection and progresses to become wet gangrene, the severity is more harmful. In a biological scenario, the development of dry gangrene takes a longer time and is a slower process.

Figure 01: Dry Gangrene

During dry gangrene formation, there is no formation of pus, wetness or crackly-feeling skin. It is mainly due to the fact that there is no gas production, owing to the absence of an infectious condition. However, symptoms such as cool dry and discolored appendages can be observed in dry gangrene formation. Disease conditions such as atherosclerosis and diabetes may lead to the formation of dry gangrene. Furthermore, smoking enhances dry gangrene formation.

What is Wet Gangrene?

Wet gangrene is the most harmful form of gangrene. If this form of gangrene does not receive proper treatment, the patient develops sepsis and eventually dies within a few days. Wet gangrene refers to the gangrene that forms during infection, resulting in the lack of blood supply leading to tissue swelling. In addition to infections, physical injuries such as wounds, cuts, and burns, etc. can also cause wet gangrene.

Figure 02: Wet Gangrene

The typical symptoms of wet gangrene are the formation of pus, wetness and the crackly feeling of skin. These are mainly due to the activity of the infectious agents causing the release of gases and other microbial toxins.

What are the Similarities Between Dry and Wet Gangrene?

Both result from the lack of blood supply to local tissues.
Moreover, both lead to the death of the tissues.
In both phenomena, dying tissues are termed as gangrene.

What is the Difference Between Dry and Wet Gangrene?

Dry and wet gangrene development occurs due to the blockage of blood supply to local tissues. However, the causation of the two types differs. Dry gangrene is a result of conditions such as atherosclerosis. In contrast, wet gangrene is a result of infection and physical injury. So, this is the key difference between dry and wet gangrene.

The below infographic presents more information regarding the difference between dry and wet gangrene.

Summary – Dry vs Wet Gangrene

Dry and wet gangrene differ in their physical appearance and texture. Moreover, the key difference between dry and wet gangrene relies on the causation. Dry gangrene is a result of non-infectious conditions while wet gangrene is mainly a result of infectious conditions. Thus, gangrene formation is important in the diagnosis. It is equally important to remove the formed gangrene as it could lead to sepsis if left untreated.

Reference:

1. “Gangrene.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Dry gangrene of the hand Wellcome L0062224” By Welcome Images (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Wet gangrene of the foot” By علاء – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia