Recently, I saw a little boy for a rash on his face. His mother, impeccably dressed and coiffed, turned to me and said, "Doctor, is it-" she paused, looked around to make sure no one was around, and continued in a hushed voice, "impetigo?!" Her eyes were filled with horror.
Oh, the dreaded "i" word. It strikes fear in the hearts of parents everywhere, who know that their child will swiftly be sent home from school/daycare/camp/etc if those contagious honey crusts show up on their little angel's face. Okay, so maybe that's a little bit of a dramatization...
What is impetigo? It's a superficial infection of the skin caused primarily by two types of bacteria: staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus pyogenes, or both. It tends to affect preschool children and young adults. Usually it starts as red areas on the skin that become little blisters filled with fluid, which then burst and dry as golden, honey yellow crusts. Sometimes kids can have fever and enlarged lymph nodes, but more often, they feel fine. Often the face is involved, but arms, legs, buttocks, fingertips, and toes can be involved as well.
Why does this happen? These two bacteria can live on the skin and in the nostrils of the patient and/or the patient's family members. The bacteria then overgrow in certain areas of the skin, causing the rash and blisters.
A dermatologist will usually culture the skin or the nose or throat, and will treat with both topical and oral antibiotics. All the family members should be treated as well, because they may be carriers of the bacteria. Since impetigo tends to recur, prevention with antibacterial washes can help, too. Treatment with antibiotics is almost always sufficient. In very rare of strep impetigo, kidney infections or scarlet fever can occur, so it's important to see a dermatologist or pediatrician for treatment.
Junior did not have impetigo. For now, at least...
No comments:
Post a Comment