Funisitis is an inflammation of the umbilical cord caused by bacterial infection, which impairs the cord’s functions of regulating blood supply and nutrient transfer to the fetus. It is treated with antibiotics, and severe cases may involve necrotizing funisitis.
Funisitis is an inflammatory condition of the connective tissue of the umbilical cord. It gets its name from the clinical term for the umbilical cord, which is funiculus umbilicalis. According to medical researchers, the condition could be caused by an inflammation of the fetal membranes, which in turn is caused by a bacterial infection. Funisitis, however, is a rather rare and obscure condition.
Vasculitis usually precedes funisitis. The term “vasculitis” indicates a category of diseases defined by inflammation and consequent destruction of blood vessels. Vasculitis typically affects the arteries and veins.
Infection of each type of blood vessel is divided into a subcategory. Inflammation of the arteries is referred to as arteritis while inflammation of the veins is called phlebitis. As for the umbilical cord, vasculitis affects the umbilical artery and umbilical vein.
The umbilical cord is especially important because it serves as a connector between the developing baby, the fetal stage in the womb, or the uterus, with the placenta. This is the organ that connects the fetus with the walls of the uterus for the absorption of nutrients, the elimination of waste products and the exchange of gases using the blood supply of the pregnant woman. The umbilical arteries and veins are specifically involved in regulating the blood supply to the fetus.
The nutrients sent to the fetus are coordinated by these specialized blood vessels. The umbilical veins carry oxygenated blood from the placenta so that the fetus can extract nutrients. The umbilical arteries then return nutrient-depleted and deoxygenated blood from the developing baby to the placenta.
Thus, funisitis impairs the above-mentioned functions via inflammation. The condition can be an indicator of a more comprehensive problem called chorioamnionitis. This inflammatory condition, caused by a bacterial infection, gets its name from the chorion and amnion, which are fetal membranes that come into existence to form a barrier or protective lining between the fetus and the woman who carries it. The chorion serves as the outer membrane while the amnion plays the role of the inner membrane.
The standard treatment for funisitis is antibiotic therapy. Typical drugs used include Ampicillin, Gentamicin, and Clindamycin. Infants with organ failure risks are transported to the NICU for further attention. In more extreme cases, necrotizing funisitis may be involved. This is a severe form of the condition, involving the actual death of the umbilical cord connective tissue, and is usually linked to congenital syphilis.
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