Symptoms of erysipelas in children
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
The incubation period lasts from several hours to 3-5 days. Symptoms of erysipelas in a child, as a rule, begin to be acute, but in some cases observe prodrome in the form of malaise, feelings of heaviness in the affected limb, paresthesia, tenderness in the region of regional lymph nodes.
The acute onset of the disease is accompanied by headache, chills, fever to 38-40 ° C; note weakness, nausea, vomiting. In severe forms, there may be delusions, phenomena of meningism.
A few hours after the onset of symptoms of intoxication, the skin of the affected area causes erythema, marked edema and sharp pains appear. Inflammatory process can occur on any part of the body, but is more often localized on the skin of the face and on the legs. Mucous membranes are very rarely affected.
As a rule, in the lesion the skin is hot to the touch, painful and tense. Erythema rapidly increases, erythematous spots merge with newly emerging, skin becomes glossy, sometimes acquires a cyanotic hue. The affected area protrudes above the level of healthy skin, is delimited from it by an inflammatory cushion with scalloped edges. Regional lymph nodes are enlarged and painful. Sometimes, on the background of erythema and edema, a detachment of the epidermis occurs, as a result of which bubbles (bullae) appear oval or round in shape and of various sizes filled with serous hemorrhagic fluid.
Between the common intoxication and local manifestations there is a parallelism - bullous elements often appear in severe forms of the disease.
[