All About Arm Cellulitis – How To Recognize And Cure This Condition

Cellulitis is an infection of the skin’s connective tissue which generally happens due to bacterial infection as a result of skin injury. Those who suffer from this condition will notice their hand will hurt, swell and become red in color.

Symptoms

To number some of the symptoms of hand cellulitis they are as following: skin pain, skin warmth, skin redness, finger swelling, finger pain, hand pain and swelling (unilateral),rash, fever.

 

Causes

People who suffer from hand cellulitis carry an infection of the deep and superficial layers of their skin which is caused by bacteria. Normally bacteria are found on the skin, yet it will only start growing when the skin is injured and generally the infections are caused by staphylococcal and streptococcal bacteria.

In the majority of cases the streptococcus bacteria is responsible for this type of celullitis, bacteria which is mostly found in the throat of organic structure and on the skin. The bacteria called staphylococcus is also responsible for this infection and it can be found in the lining of the nose and mouth.

 

Risk factors

Certain people will have more chances of developing this infection if they are affected by certain risk factors. Some of them number corticosteroid medications use, recent pulmonary, animal and insect bites, cardiovascular, dental and other procedures, ischemic ulcers, diabetes and injury disease.

 

Diagnosis

The doctor will put a diagnosis on the patient by ordering blood culture, during physical examination and by asking the patient about his or her medical history. Yet it seems that the most effective way of putting a diagnosis is by investigating the area.

If the patient is suffering from hand celullitis, the sings will be redness, swollen tissue, pain and warmth. Lastly, to confirm the diagnosis the doctor will order a blood exam (blood culture or CBC).

 

Treatment

The treatment for hand celullitis is targeted at healing the affected area and any other underlying shapes which might be responsible for a recurrence of the infection in the future. If the infection is very serious then it will require the patient to be hospitalized and in this case, close medical care and intravenous drugs will be given.

In normal cases though it seems that patients will only be closely observed and be given oral antibiotics. If the pain is also harsh the patient will be given analgesics to cope with it and antibiotics in order to control the inflammation. This will also minimize swelling.

Doctors may recommend warm compresses to be used until the symptoms will improve.

 

Prevention

To prevent hand celullitis people need to first of all ensure they have a good hygiene of their hands and also that they are careful with injuring or traumatizing them.

The skin should also be kept moisturized enough, because if the skin becomes cracked, then it will leave way for the bacteria to cause infections and eventually even hand celullitis. Also, people who suffer from lymphaedema should consult their doctors immediately in order to consider the right treatment for curing it.

They will generally be given a two week course of antibiotics for this.

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