Cellulitis
Cellulitis | |
---|---|
Frequency | 21.2 million (2015)[7] |
Deaths | 16,900 (2015)[8] |
Cellulitis is usually
The legs and face are the most common sites involved, although cellulitis can occur on any part of the body.
Treatment is typically with
Potential complications include abscess formation.[1] Around 95% of people are better after 7 to 10 days of treatment.[2] Those with diabetes, however, often have worse outcomes.[10] Cellulitis occurred in about 21.2 million people in 2015.[7] In the United States about 2 of every 1,000 people per year have a case affecting the lower leg.[1] Cellulitis in 2015 resulted in about 16,900 deaths worldwide.[8] In the United Kingdom, cellulitis was the reason for 1.6% of admissions to a hospital.[6]
Signs and symptoms
The typical signs and symptoms of cellulitis are an area that is red, hot, and painful. The photos shown here are of mild to moderate cases and are not representative of the earlier stages of the condition.[citation needed]
-
Cellulitis following an abrasion: Note the red streaking up the arm from the involvement of the lymphatic system.
-
Infected left shin in comparison to the right-sided shin with no sign of symptoms.
-
Cellulitis of the leg with foot involvement.
Complications
Potential complications may include abscess formation, fasciitis, and sepsis.[1][11]
Causes
Cellulitis is usually, but not always,
About 80% of cases of Ludwig's angina, or cellulitis of the submandibular space, are caused by dental infections. Mixed infections, due to both aerobes and anaerobes, are commonly associated with this type of cellulitis. Typically, this includes alpha-hemolytic streptococci, staphylococci, and bacteroides' groups.[13]
Predisposing conditions for cellulitis include an insect or
The appearance of the skin assists a doctor in determining a diagnosis. A doctor may also suggest blood tests, a wound culture, or other tests to help rule out a blood clot deep in the veins of the legs. Cellulitis in the lower leg is characterized by signs and symptoms similar to those of a deep vein thrombosis, such as warmth, pain, and swelling (inflammation).
Reddened skin or rash may signal a deeper, more serious infection of the inner layers of skin. Once below the skin, the bacteria can spread rapidly, entering the lymph nodes and the bloodstream and spreading throughout the body. This can result in influenza-like symptoms with a high temperature and sweating or feeling very cold with shaking, as the affected person cannot get warm.[14]
In rare cases, the infection can spread to the deep layer of tissue called the
Risk factors
This section needs additional citations for verification. (June 2021) |
The elderly and those with
Immunosuppressive drugs, and other illnesses or infections that weaken the immune system, are also factors that make infection more likely. Chickenpox and shingles often result in blisters that break open, providing a gap in the skin through which bacteria can enter. Lymphedema, which causes swelling on the arms and/or legs, can also put an individual at risk.[citation needed] Diseases that affect blood circulation in the legs and feet, such as chronic venous insufficiency and varicose veins, are also risk factors for cellulitis.[citation needed]
Cellulitis is also common among dense populations sharing hygiene facilities and common living quarters, such as military installations, college dormitories, nursing homes, oil platforms, and homeless shelters.[citation needed]
Diagnosis
Cellulitis is most often a clinical diagnosis, readily identified in many people by history and physical examination alone, with rapidly spreading areas of cutaneous swelling, redness, and heat, occasionally associated with inflammation of regional lymph nodes. While classically distinguished as a separate entity from erysipelas by spreading more deeply to involve the subcutaneous tissues, many clinicians may classify erysipelas as cellulitis. Both are often treated similarly, but cellulitis associated with furuncles, carbuncles, or abscesses is usually caused by S. aureus, which may affect treatment decisions, especially antibiotic selection.[16] Skin aspiration of nonpurulent cellulitis, usually caused by streptococcal organisms, is rarely helpful for diagnosis, and blood cultures are positive in fewer than 5% of all cases.[16]
It is important to evaluate for co-existent abscess, as this finding usually requires surgical drainage as opposed to antibiotic therapy alone. Physicians' clinical assessment for abscess may be limited, especially in cases with extensive overlying induration, but use of bedside ultrasonography performed by an experienced practitioner readily discriminates between abscess and cellulitis and may change management in up to 56% of cases.[17] Use of ultrasound for abscess identification may also be indicated in cases of antibiotic failure. Cellulitis has a characteristic "cobblestoned" appearance indicative of subcutaneous edema without a defined hypoechoic, heterogeneous fluid collection that would indicate abscess.[18]
Differential diagnosis
Other conditions that may mimic cellulitis include
Associated musculoskeletal findings are sometimes reported. When it occurs with
Prevention
In those who have previously had cellulitis, the use of antibiotics may help prevent future episodes.[26] This is recommended by CREST for those who have had more than two episodes.[6] A 2017 meta-analysis found a benefit of preventative antibiotics for recurrent cellulitis in the lower limbs, but the preventative effects appear to diminish after stopping antibiotic therapy.[27]
Treatment
Antibiotics are usually prescribed, with the agent selected based on suspected organism and presence or absence of
Antibiotics
Antibiotics choices depend on regional availability, but a penicillinase-resistant semisynthetic penicillin or a first-generation cephalosporin is currently recommended for cellulitis without abscess.[16] A course of antibiotics is not effective in between 6 and 37% of cases.[30]
Epidemiology
Cellulitis in 2015 resulted in about 16,900 deaths worldwide, up from 12,600 in 2005.[8]
Cellulitis is a common global health burden, with more than 650,000 admissions per year in the United States alone. In the United States, an estimated 14.5 million cases annually of cellulitis account for $3.7 billion in ambulatory care costs alone. The majority of cases of cellulitis are nonculturable and therefore the causative bacteria are unknown. In the 15% of cellulitis cases in which organisms are identified, most are due to β-hemolytic Streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus.[31]
Other animals
See also
References
- ^ PMID 24758956.
- ^ PMID 24093896.
- ^ S2CID 211100166.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-07-148480-0.
- ^ PMID 17029130.
- ^ S2CID 28902459.
- ^ PMID 27733282.
- ^ PMID 27733281.
- ^ PMID 33363960.
- PMID 26198368.
- ISBN 978-1-118-44119-0.
- ^ "Cellulitis". The Lecturio Medical Concept Library. Archived from the original on 20 August 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ISBN 978-81-312-2364-2.
- ^ a b "Cellulitis: All You Need to Know". National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Division of Bacterial Diseases (CDC). 4 February 2021. Archived from the original on 8 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ "Necrotizing Fasciitis: A Rare Disease, Especially for the Healthy". CDC. June 15, 2016. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ PMID 24947530.
- ^ PMID 24620867.
- ISBN 978-1-4963-1871-8.[page needed]
- S2CID 205110504.
- PMID 29453874.
- PMID 29453872.
- PMID 12639466.
- ^ PMID 22962880.
- ^ "Lyme Disease Data and surveillance". Lyme Disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2019-02-05. Archived from the original on 2019-04-13. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
- PMID 25999226.
- PMID 24576824.
- PMID 28631307.
- PMID 20556757.
- S2CID 221862981.
- PMID 27344098.
- S2CID 241077983.
- PMID 16882479.
- S2CID 18579931.
Further reading
- Stevens DL, Bisno AL, Chambers HF, Dellinger EP, Goldstein EJ, Gorbach SL, Hirschmann JV, Kaplan SL, Montoya JG, Wade JC (15 July 2014). "Practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of skin and soft tissue infections: 2014 update by the infectious diseases society of America". Clinical Infectious Diseases. 59 (2): 147–59. PMID 24947530.
External links
- "Cellulitis". MedlinePlus. U.S. National Library of Medicine. 24 December 2023.