Can cellulitis be complicated by sepsis? Is it possible to get inflammation repeatedly even without a wound? Doctors call attention to 4 groups of people
Can cellulitis occur without a wound? Severe fear of sepsis
There are no obvious wounds on the skin, but I feel red, swollen, hot, and painful. Is this “cellulitis”? Dr. Cui Kezhong, the attending physician of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Cathay General Hospital, said in an interview that cellular tissue is caused by bacteria that invade the dermis and subcutaneous tissue through wounds, causing infection and inflammation. Common symptoms include skin redness, swelling, warmth and pain, and some serious diseases Patients will have fever symptoms. When bacterial infection enters the bloodstream, severe complications such as sepsis may occur.
Dr. Cui Kezhong pointed out that cellulitis has both “visible” and “invisible” wounds. Sometimes the skin wounds are extremely small, and bacteria can still invade and cause infection. Therefore, it is recommended to keep the skin moist to avoid increasing the risk of infection due to cracked skin tissue. When there is a new wound on the skin, it should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected or antibiotic ointment should be used to prevent the infection from worsening into cellulitis.
Who is prone to cellulitis? Beware of recurring skin infections
Dr. Cui Kezhong said that for people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, not only poor blood sugar control itself is a factor that increases the risk of infection, but the peripheral nerves may also be blunted and injured without realizing it, causing wound infection to worsen into cellulitis. In addition, patients with chronic lower limb edema also have a higher chance of contracting cellulitis due to poor circulation. Obesity is also a risk factor for cellulitis.
Other risk factors include smoking, alcohol abuse, paronychia caused by improperly trimmed nails, untreated wounds, and repeated skin infections. In particular, infected tissues are prone to damage and recurrence. In addition, external factors will increase the chance of infection. For example, bacteria are prone to breed in high-temperature environments in summer, and dry and cracked skin tissue without proper moisturizing may increase the risk of cellulitis.
Cellulitis multiple times a year? What is “necrotizing fasciitis”
Dr. Cui Kezhong pointed out that the epidermis and subcutaneous tissue will re-grow after being damaged, but some people have poor re-growth ability, such as obesity, diabetes, lower limb edema, etc. Bacteria can easily invade again, causing repeated attacks of cellulitis. Such patients are reminded to go to the hospital outpatient department for evaluation and receive oral antibiotics or long-acting antibiotic treatment.
Dr. Cui Kezhong said that “necrotizing fasciitis” is a more serious skin and soft tissue infection. Compared with ordinary cellulitis, the inflammatory reaction progresses more quickly, the tissue damage is more severe, and the affected area may become swollen within a short period of time. and necrosis, which are severe cases and require early surgical intervention and debridement in addition to antibiotics, and amputation is required if necessary to control infection.
Dr. Cui Kezhong reminds that if you are alert to symptoms of redness, swelling, heat, and pain related to cellular tissue, you must go to the outpatient clinic for oral antibiotic treatment. If you have abnormal blood pressure or fever, it may cause sepsis and endanger your life. Hospitalization will be arranged depending on the situation. treat.
Further reading:
Can cellulitis occur without a wound? Doctor: Serious fear of amputation! Pay attention to abnormal “redness, heat, swelling and pain”
