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.
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.
You have signs that your infection is getting worse, such as: Increased pain, swelling, warmth, or redness. Red streaks leading from the area. Pus draining from the area.
In general, cellulitis appears as a red, swollen, and painful area of skin that is warm and tender to the touch. The skin may look pitted, like the peel of an orange, or blisters may appear on the affected skin. Some people may also develop fever and chills.
When to seek urgent care. If redness, swelling or pain intensify over the next 24 hours, see a health care provider immediately. “If you're 48 hours out and have increased redness, that's a huge red flag,” Jake said. Other symptoms can include blisters, bruising, headache or red streaks tracking from the wound.
Your health care provider will likely be able to diagnose cellulitis by looking at your skin. You might need to undergo a blood test or other tests to help rule out other conditions.
Cellulitis is a common skin infection caused by bacteria. It affects the middle layer of the skin (dermis) and the tissues below. Sometimes, muscle can be affected.
Contact your GP as soon as possible if: your symptoms get worse after 48 hours. your symptoms haven't improved after a week. you develop additional symptoms, such as a high temperature (fever) or vomiting.
If your cellulitis doesn't improve after 48 hours on antibiotics, you should consider going back to your provider or the emergency room to have your infection reassessed.
Most people with cellulitis feel only mildly ill. Some may have a fever, chills, rapid heart rate, headache, low blood pressure, and confusion, which usually indicates a severe infection.
Cellulitis has a poor prognosis, with mortality rates approaching 100% in decompensated patients with gram-negative cellulitis.
“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.
Another study reported an overall 30-day mortality of 4.8% in patients with cellulitis, and a mortality rate due to shock or multiorgan failure of 3.0% [8].
Immediate action required: Call 999 or go to A&E if:
An adult or older child has any of these symptoms of sepsis: acting confused, slurred speech or not making sense. blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue – on brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet.
Sepsis can develop quickly from initial infection and progress to septic shock in as little as 12 to 24 hours.1 You may have an infection that's not improving or you could even be sick without realizing it.
Cellulitis is usually a superficial infection of the skin (left). But if severe (right) or if left untreated, it can spread into the lymph nodes and bloodstream.
However, cellulitis symptoms often get worse before they get better, probably because, with the death of the bacteria, substances that cause tissue damage are released. When this release occurs, the body continues to react even though the bacteria are dead.
Several common conditions can mimic cellulitis, creating a potential for misdiagnosis and incorrect management. The most common disorders mistaken for lower limb cellulitis include venous eczema, lipodermatosclerosis, irritant dermatitis, and lymphedema.
The best antibiotic to treat cellulitis include dicloxacillin, cephalexin, trimethoprim with sulfamethoxazole, clindamycin, or doxycycline antibiotics.
It's important to keep taking antibiotics until they're finished, even when you feel better. Most people make a full recovery after 7 to 10 days. If cellulitis is severe, you might be referred to hospital for treatment.
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.