The next time you cut, scratch or
break the skin in any way, it's not wise to just shrug
it off. My friend Deborah learned this the hard way when
her 10-month-old daughter developed a tiny, blister-like
sore on her bottom that seemed to worsen overnight.
The pediatrician said it was nothing to worry about,
swabbed it with disinfectant, squeezed out the pus and
sent her home. The next day, Sarah’s leg had started to
swell and she seemed pale and listless. Sarah had developed
what turned out to be a staph infection and spent five days
in the hospital receiving two different intravenous (IV)
antibiotics to save her life.
What happened? How did a little sore
turn almost deadly? Sarah had what’s called cellulitis,
a potentially serious bacterial infection of the skin,
which can afflict adults and children. It starts with a
break in the skin -- perhaps from a minor cut or scratch,
eczema, severe acne or an insect bite. The opening allows
bacteria -- most often staph aureus and strep pyogenes,
which live on the skin -- to invade, causing pain, swelling,
warmth and redness. It can affect any area of the body and
spread rapidly from the tissues underlying your skin to your
lymph nodes and bloodstream. "If you have a nasty case of
cellulitis and you don’t treat it, you could die," says
Dennis J. Cunningham, MD, assistant professor of clinical
pediatrics at Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
Fortunately, it’s easy to beat cellulitis
if it’s identified quickly -- within a day or so. "If you
catch it early, you can treat it at home with oral antibiotics
instead of IV antibiotics at the hospital," Dr.
Cunningham says.
Know the Signs
Cellulitis starts out as a small, swollen
area around a wound that’s warm, red and painful. As it
begins to spread, you may begin to feel sick and develop
a fever (of around 101° F), and sometimes you will have
chills and sweating. You also may develop swollen lymph
nodes (swollen glands) near the area of infected skin.
The telltale symptom of cellulitis is red streaks around
the infection site, says Dr. Cunningham, which indicates
that the infection has spread into the lymphatic vessels.
"If you have a fever or see red streaks within a day or so
of breaking the skin, call your doctor immediately," he says.
The incubation period varies from one to several days,
depending on the type of bacterium that’s involved.
Of course, the best strategy for
avoiding cellulitis is prevention. If you do get a
cut or abrasion, wash it immediately and thoroughly
with plain soap and water and leave it open to the
air. Dr. Cunningham advises against using antibiotic
creams, such as A&D Ointment or Bacitracin, unless
you start to see redness, which could mean an infection
is taking hold. (Too much use of antibiotic ointments
can lead to more resistant bacteria that require
stronger medicines to treat.) If it’s a large cut,
a deep puncture wound or a bite (animal or human),
speak with your doctor.
Sources... Dennis J. Cunningham,
MD, assistant professor of clinical pediatrics,
Section of Infectious Diseases, Children’s Hospital,
Columbus, Ohio.
