Subcutaneous soft tissue infection

Many people's skin and soft tissues are often infected. At the beginning, there will be redness, swelling and pain. As time goes by, pus will begin to be discharged. The inflammation rarely spreads, but the patient will obviously show systemic symptoms such as coldness, dizziness, headache, mental atrophy, etc. Patients need to choose the appropriate treatment method based on the actual clinical manifestations.

Causes

Common pathogenic bacteria include Staphylococcus aureus, hemolytic Streptococcus, anaerobic bacteria, etc., which invade areas with rich hair follicles or areas of tissue damage and cause infection. They can also be secondary to other diseases and spread through lymph or blood.

Clinical manifestations

1. Furuncle

The clinical characteristics of this disease are local redness, swelling and painful nodules, which gradually increase in size and become cone-shaped. Subsequently, a pus head appears in the center, which may burst on its own, discharge pus and heal itself. Rarely does the inflammation expand to form surrounding cellulitis or abscess. Generally there are no obvious systemic symptoms. If the inflammatory reaction is more severe, toxemia may occur, which may manifest as obvious systemic symptoms such as chills, fever, headache, mental depression and increased white blood cell count.

2. Carbuncle

At the beginning, the local area appears as a slightly raised purple-red infiltration area with a tough texture, unclear boundaries, and obvious pain. Subsequently, there are multiple miliary pus plugs on the surface of the central part, which become honeycomb-like after rupture. Later, tissue necrosis, dissolution, and collapse occur in the central part, like a "crater", which contains pus and a large amount of necrotic tissue. Carbuncle tends to spread to the surrounding and deep parts of the body, with infiltrative edema around it and severe pain. Local lymph nodes are swollen and painful. Most patients have obvious systemic symptoms, such as chills, fever, general malaise, loss of appetite, etc., and are prone to systemic suppurative infections. Cheilitis can easily cause intracranial cavernous sinusitis and acute purulent meningitis, which are more dangerous.

3. Erysipelas

The disease begins with symptoms such as chills, fever, headache, and general discomfort. The lesions are more common on the lower limbs and face. Local manifestations include redness and bright color of the skin (in the early stage), burning, pain, slight swelling, clear boundaries, the red area becomes lighter when pressed, and quickly turns red again after leaving the area. The lesion expands rapidly, and some may cause blisters, with the redness in the center fading slightly and the bulges flattening slightly. Proximal lymph nodes are often enlarged and tender. As erysipelas continues to worsen, systemic sepsis symptoms worsen, but skin and lymph node lesions rarely become suppurative and ulcerated. The disease may recur, and repeated attacks can cause lymphatic obstruction and lymphatic congestion, leading to thick skin and limb swelling (elephantiasis).