Articles
Cellulitis - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment for
Cellulitis
Cellulitis is a common inflammation of the connective
tissue underlying the skin. It appears when bacteria
occupy broken or normal skin, cuts, burns, insect
bites, surgical wounds, or sites of endovenous
catheter insertion and start to spread just beneath
the skin or in the skin itself. This leads to an
infection and inflammation of the cells, erythema,
edema, and warmth.
Cellulitis can occur on any part of your body
but lower legs or skin on the face are most commonly
affected by this infection .Staphylococcus ("staph")
is the main bacteria which causes cellulitis. Occasionally,
some other bacteria may cause cellulitis as well.
As a spreading infection cellulitis generally
starts as a small region of tenderness, swelling,
and skin redness . As this red region starts to
increase, the person may result a fever, sometimes
with chills and sweats, and swollen glands near
the area of infected skin.
Causes
Cellulitis may be caused by many different bacteria
but streptococcus and staphylococcus are the most
common originator of these bacteria, which are
normally exist on the skin but cause no actual
infection until the skin is broken.So cellulitis
is started by entering by way of a break in the
skin. This break can't be visible by naked eye.
Predisposing conditions for cellulitis include
insect bite, animal bite, pruritic skin rash, recent
surgery , athlete's foot , dry skin , eczema ,
burns & boils , though there is debate as to
whether minor foot lesions contribute .Streptococci
spread instantly in the skin because they produce
enzymes that impede the ability of the tissue to
confine the infection.
Pneumococcus may result a specifically malignant
form of cellulitis, usually in an immunocompromised
host, and frequently is combined with tissue necrosis,
suppuration, and blood stream invasion.
There are some reported cases of cellulitis where
it appears on areas of trauma, the broken skin,
such as the skin near ulcers or surgical wounds.
Also some wounds appearing after exposure to fresh
water may be lead to Aeromonas hydrophila, a gram-negative
rod.
Symptoms
Cellulitis can be occurred anywhere in the body
but it most commonly develops on the legs.The main
symptoms are skin redness or inflammation that
spreads in size as the infection spreads , tight,
glossy, stretched occurrence of the skin , tenderness
of the area , skin injury or rash, sudden onset
,warmth over the redskin,fever .there are some
other signs of infection includes chills, shaking,
fatigue, warm skin, sweating, muscle aches, myalgias.
Some of the additional symptoms that may be related
with this disease are nausea, vomiting & hair
loss at the site of infection
In some advanced cases of cellulitis, red streaks
may be seen moving up the affected area. The swelling
can spread frequently. The infected skin gets hot
and slightly swollen and may look slightly pockmarked,
like an orange peel.The swelling appears due to
the infection blocks the lymphatic vessels in the
skin.
Treatments
Antibiotics are used to control infection, and
analgesics may be needed to ebb pain. Commonly
used oral antibiotics are penicillin, flucloxacillin,
cefuroxime or erythromycin. Antibiotics taken are
penicillin-based antibiotics (e.g. penicillin G
or flucloxacillin) or cephalosporins (e.g. cefotaxime
or cefazolin).
Clindamycin and vancomycin are efficacious antibiotics
in patients with serious penicillin or cephalosporin
allergy.
Amoxicillin and clavulanic acid may be used in
the situations where a broader antibiotic cover
is required, for example a diabetic patient with
a foot ulcer.
It is recommend that person should wear long sleeves
and pants in high risk areas e.g. gardening. Maintained
proper hygiene& keep skin clean and well moisturized,
with nails well tended, avoid having blood tests
using from the affected limb , cure fungal infections
of hands and feet early, keep swollen limbs elevated
during rest periods to cure lymphatic circulation.
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