Impetigo

Short characteristic of a disease

Impetigo is a skin disease which is caused by streptococci and stafilokokka. Most often it meets in children's collectives as the organism of any child not so effectively resists infections as the adult's organism. Besides, children communicate among themselves more actively and exchange various things that also promotes bystry spread of a disease. At diagnosis of impetigo, treatment has to be appointed as soon as possible as the infection gives complications on internals, causes diseases of kidneys and cardiovascular system.

Causes of illness

It is necessary to carry to the major provocative factors microtraumas, macerations of skin, hit in an organism of pathogenic strains of cocci. Depending on the reason, impetigo at children is subdivided on primary and secondary. In the latter case the infection is a consequence of a complication of a dermatosis, itches, eczema or a pediculosis.

Impetigo – symptoms and a clinical picture of a disease

Now physicians allocate the streptococcal, staphylococcal and mixed infection forms.

Streptococcal impetigo – a disease begins with vesiculation (phlyctenas) which slightly tower over the surface of skin, have the sizes from 2 to 10 mm and are surrounded with a narrow rim of red color. Rashes can be both scattered, and acervate in separate groups. At early stages contents of bubbles – are transparent, but further it grows turbid and after a while dries up, forming light yellow crusts. After their falling off there are only small, not pigmented spots. There are several kinds of streptococcal impetigo. So-called perleches most often occur at children. The main symptom of this form is existence of a bubble in a mouth corner. Its contents quickly form a crust during which removal the bleeding surface is found. Perleches seldom bring strong pain. An exception are unless cases when impetigo affects a mucous membrane of an oral cavity.

Staphylococcal impetigo (folilikulit) – at this form inflammatory process affects hair sacks. A characteristic symptom of stefilokokkovy impetigo is formation of a set of pustules on pilar sites of skin. They are surrounded with a pinkish border and grow to 5 mm. in the diameter. At easy forms of an infection contents of pustules quickly dry, leaving behind a yellow crust which disappears in several days. If deep staphylococcal impetigo is diagnosed for children, treatment has to be immediate as pustules bring to the child pain, and after their opening and healing there are noticeable scars.

The mixed (vulgar) impetigo – arises at simultaneous existence in an organism and a streptococcal, and staphylococcal infection. At such form contents of bubbles (phlyctenas) happen both transparent, and purulent, and the openings of a crust formed later – more massivna, than at pure types of an infection. Vulgar impetigo at children and adults is located usually on a face, but quite often pathological process affects also skin of other parts of a body. Children and young women get sick, as a rule. Sources of an infection are both strains, and linen or any other personal objects. If at the patient the mixed impetigo is observed, treatment is necessary as on a body there are all new and new phlyctenas, and process of infection can extend to very big area of an integument easily.

Impetigo – treatment of a disease at children and adults

In most cases the infection proceeds without complications and will quite respond to out-patient treatment. The main tactics at the same time – refusal of washing of the damaged sites of skin and use of various medical ointments and disinfecting solutions (salicyl or camphoric alcohol). New bubbles are opened right after emergence. Then they are processed by brilliant green and ointments which part antibiotics are. It is necessary to repeat this procedure on an extent of 7-10 days 3-4 times a day up to total disappearance of phlyctenas. The bandage skin is not applied. After the termination of a course of treatment, the damaged sites are regularly processed by alcohol for prevention of a recurrence of a disease.

At severe forms of impetigo at children, treatment proceeds with use of antibiotics which are accepted in or by means of intramuscular injections.

For the entire period of treatment it is necessary to limit communication of the child with peers and to follow rules of personal hygiene (but at the same time it is impossible to wash the damaged sites). At responsible, correct approach the forecast, as a rule, favorable. Undertreated impetigo leads to formation of new phlyctenas and development of complications (nephrites, myocardites and some other diseases).