The following symptoms and complaints may indicate erysipelas (erysipelas):
Leading symptoms
- Sharply demarcated bright redness of the skin above the level of the skin
- Flame-shaped extensions
- Confined to the epidermis (upper skin) and dermis (dermis) (no or superficial involvement of the subcutis (lower skin))
- Blistering possible (bullous erysipelas); if there is bleeding is called hemorrhagic erysipelas (possibly bullous-hemorrhagic (blistering-bleeding) erysipelas); in hemorrhagic erysipelas can occur after the healing of the blister zone scarring, which leads to a permanent brownish skin discoloration due to stored hemosiderin (heme = red blood substance).
- If necessary, pruritus (itching)
- Lymphadenopathy (lymph node enlargement).
- General symptomatology with high fever (see below accompanying symptoms), headache, severe feeling of illness, joint pain.
Accompanying symptoms (in systemic inflammatory response).
- High fever; possibly also hypothermia.
- Heart rate > 100 beats/min
- Hypotension (low blood pressure; syst. RR (systolic blood pressure) < 90 mmHg or 20 mmHg below baseline).
Localization
- Face, arms or legs (esp. lower legs); less frequently on the navel.
- Adults predominantly have lower extremities affected; children more commonly have facial serysipelas.
