Cellulitis can cause thrombophlebitis (swelling in a vein due to a blood clot).
Complications of cellulitis can be very serious. These can include extensive tissue damage and tissue death (gangrene). The infection can also spread to the blood, bones, lymph system, heart, or nervous system. These infections can lead to amputation, shock, or even death.
“Deep vein thrombosis can also look a lot like cellulitis of the leg,” says Bystritsky. Both conditions involve skin that is swollen, reddened, painful, and hot to the touch. (13) But the way they are treated is very different.
Occasionally the infection can spread to other parts of the body, such as the deeper layers of tissue, blood, muscle and bone. This can be very serious and potentially life threatening. Signs the infection has spread include: a high temperature (fever) of 38C (100.4F) or above.
Complications from cellulitis are uncommon but can include serious infections: Bacteremia (blood infection) Suppurative arthritis (bacterial infection in a joint) Osteomyelitis (bone infection)
A blood test will confirm whether the cellulitis infection has spread to your blood. Skin test. A skin test will identify the type of bacteria responsible for your cellulitis, which helps your healthcare provider prescribe the most appropriate antibiotic. Bacterial culture.
Severe redness and swelling are typical in cellulitis. The skin is usually very warm to the touch. Red streaking may indicate that the infection is spreading.
A delay in seeking medical care or use of the wrong treatment could allow the infection to worsen. To ensure that the correct treatment is used, it is important to be evaluated immediately by a health care provider, particularly if the cellulitis is rapidly increasing or fever and chills develop.
DVT, when associated with cellulitis, is still rarer, as very few case reports exist in literature. Although rare, DVT should be suspected in children presenting with cellulitis, because late or missed diagnosis can cause life-threatening complications.
Untreated cellulitis might lead to bacteremia, endocarditis, osteomyelitis, toxic shock syndrome or sepsis. Rarely, the infection can spread to the deep layer of tissue called the fascial lining. Necrotizing fasciitis is an example of a deep-layer infection. It's an extreme emergency.
Necrotizing cellulitis (or necrotizing fasciitis), a rare but severe form of cellulitis, is the dreaded "flesh-eating disease" that occasionally grabs media headlines. There are two types. The first is due to a very aggressive strain of Group A streptococcus and can start anywhere on the skin.
There are some instances when cellulitis needs urgent emergency room treatment. If you notice any of the following symptoms, please treat them seriously and get urgent medical care: The red or tender area going numb. The reddened area becoming larger or hardening.
You may have cellulitis if you have an area of skin that is warm, red, tender and very painful. If your infection is severe, you may also have symptoms like fever and nausea. If you think you or someone in your care has cellulitis, it's important to get medical attention as soon as possible.
Wash the wound with clean water 2 times a day. Don't use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, which can slow healing. You may cover the wound with a thin layer of petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, and a nonstick bandage.
You may need to keep your foot elevated as much as possible for at least 48 hours. However, to aid circulation, you should go for short walks every now and then and wiggle your toes regularly when your foot is raised. If you have cellulitis in a forearm or hand, a high sling can help to raise the affected area.
Certain medical conditions can make it harder to treat cellulitis. This can be because of decreased blood flow to the area, a weakened immune system, or another reason. Some of these conditions include: Edema: Swelling of the lower legs can decrease blood flow to these areas.
“Typically, if a patient is not responding to oral antibiotics, and the cellulitis has symptoms that appear to be more involved and can't be managed with antibiotics, such as high fever or low blood pressure — systemic signs of infection — then they get intravenous antibiotics,” says Kaminska.
Treatment for cellulitis
Your symptoms might get worse in the first 48 hours of treatment, but should then start to improve. Contact a GP if you do not start to feel better 2 to 3 days after starting antibiotics. It's important to keep taking antibiotics until they're finished, even when you feel better.
In rare cases, cellulitis may spread through the blood stream. This requires urgent medical treatment and admission to hospital. Cellulitis around the eye area needs careful monitoring by a doctor. You may be advised to see your local doctor in a day or two to be sure that the cellulitis is improving.
Signs and Symptoms of Severe Infection
A person may also develop cold sweats, fever, and difficulty concentrating. If left untreated, rapid heartbeat can affect heart function and increase the risk of major complications such as heart failure, cardiac arrest, and stroke.
The infection begins on the surface of your skin, but can affect the underlying layers of skin, too. Untreated, cellulitis can even spread to your lymph nodes or cause a blood infection (sepsis).
And if cellulitis spreads to other parts of your body, you might feel tired and develop blisters or red or brown streaks on the skin. “Most of the time, cellulitis occurs on the arms and legs or around a wound, but it can happen anywhere, including the eyes,” Dr.