Cellulitis is the bacterial infection of the skin. It starts with a break in the skin and an area of redness which increases in size after some days. The skin gets swollen and the red patch on it turns white when pressed. The person feels tired, and can also have fever. The area involved is usually painful. The most common parts which get affected are legs and face, however cellulitis can occur anywhere on the skin.
What is Cellulitis?
Cellulitis is basically caused by a bacteria which enters the skin through a cut, or break. The break may be visible or invisible. Dental infections result in 80% of the cases of cellulitis in space near to mouth. The pre conditions which give inclination towards cellulitis include insect bite, tattoos, skin rash, dry skin, recent surgery, drugs injection, pregnancy, obesity, diabetes. These all to an extent affect circulation. The doctor can diagnose cellulitis with the appearance of the skin, but he may also conduct some blood tests to confirm it. Once the bacteria comes below the skin, then there is a danger of it spreading rapidly and entering the lymph nodes and bloodveins, thereby spreading throughout the body. This can result in flu like symptoms like fever, sweating and cold with shakes. In very rare cases, infection can spread to more deeper layers, causing facial lining.
The people with weak immune system or elderly people are more prone to cellulitis. The diabetes patients can get cellulitis in the feet easily as diabetes affect the blood circulation in legs, leading to diabetic foot ulcers. Poor control on the blood sugar level allows the bacteria to grow more rapidly on the infected area. Cellulitis is common among people sharing the hygiene facilities and stay in same quarters, like homeless shelters, nursing homes, military quarters, college hostels, etc.
The people who had suffered from cellulities in past can rely on antibiotics for the future infections. This is recommended for those who had the infection atleast twice in the past. There is still a debate going on in the medical field regarding its treatment, and thereby the best remedy is unclear. However the treatment usually consists of cutting away the dead tissues and taking antibiotics either orally or by directly injecting it into the veins. Flucloxacillin or dicloxacillin antibiotics are often sufficient in mild cellulitis, but in more serious cases, this normal medication course is combined with oral phenoxymethylpenicillin or intravenous benzylpenicillin, or ampicillin. Around 95% people feel better in seven to ten days of treatment. However a complication can come which includes collection of pus in the infected area, in this case the area of redness extends beyond swelling and hair follicle may become larger than usual. Skin infections affect about 2 out of every 1000 people per year.
There is a history in the world regarding cellulitis infection. In 2013 it resulted in about 30,000 deaths, whereas in 1990 it caused 27,000 deaths. Horses and bulls may acquire cellulitis usually through a deep tissue infection, such as infected bone or joint.