Erysipelas Treatment & Management
- Author: Loretta Davis, MD; Chief Editor: Dirk M Elston, MD more...
Medical Care
- Elevation and rest of the affected limb are recommended in erysipelas treatment to reduce local swelling, inflammation, and pain.
- Saline wet dressings should be applied to ulcerated and necrotic lesions and changed every 2-12 hours, depending on the severity of the infection.
- Streptococci cause most cases of erysipelas; thus, penicillin has remained first-line therapy.[8, 9] Penicillin administered orally or intramuscularly is sufficient for most cases of classic erysipelas and should be given for 10-20 days.
- A first-generation cephalosporin or macrolide, such as erythromycin or azithromycin, may be used if the patient has an allergy to penicillin. Cephalosporins may cross-react with penicillin and should be used with caution in patients with a history of severe penicillin allergy such as anaphylaxis.
- Hospitalization for close monitoring and intravenous antibiotics is recommended in severe cases and in infants, elderly patients, and patients who are immunocompromised.
- Coverage for Staphylococcus aureus is not usually necessary for typical infections, but it should be considered in patients who do not improve with penicillin or who present with atypical forms of erysipelas, including bullous erysipelas. Some authors believe that facial erysipelas should be treated empirically with a penicillinase-resistant antibiotic, such as dicloxacillin or nafcillin, to cover possible S aureus infection, but supporting evidence for this recommendation is lacking.[6]
- Two drugs, roxithromycin and pristinamycin, have been reported to be extremely effective in the treatment of erysipelas. Several studies have demonstrated greater efficacy and fewer adverse effects with these drugs compared with penicillin.[10] Currently, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved these drugs in the United States, but they are in use in Europe.
- Patients with recurrent erysipelas should be educated regarding local antisepsis and general wound care. Predisposing lower extremity skin lesions (eg, tinea pedis, toe web intertrigo, stasis ulcers) should be treated aggressively to prevent superinfection. Use of compression stockings should be encouraged for as long as 1 month in previously healthy patients and long term in patients with lower extremity edema. Long-term management of lymphedema is essential. Long-term prophylactic antibiotic therapy generally is accepted, but no true guidelines are available. Treatment regimens should be tailored to the patient. One reported regimen is benzathine penicillin G at 2.4 MU intramuscularly every 3 weeks for up to 2 years.[11] Two-week intervals have also been used.[2]
- Also see a clinical guideline summary from the Infectious Diseases Society of America, Practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of skin and soft-tissue infections.[12]
Surgical Care
Debridement is necessary only in severe infections with necrosis or gangrene.
Consultations
Most patients with erysipelas respond very well to conventional antibiotic therapy. However, in atypical infections that are unresponsive to first- and second-line agents, an infectious disease consult may be useful.
Activity
Patients with acute infections involving the extremities should be encouraged to limit their activity and keep the limb elevated to decrease swelling.
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