ERYSIPELAS IN CHILDREN IN TODAY’S CONDITIONS

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11603/1681-2727.2024.3.14877

Keywords:

erysipelas, S. рyogenes, children, streptococcal infection

Abstract

In recent years, the incidence of streptococcal infection has been increasing in many countries of the world. S. pyogenes is the cause of many human diseases, such as tonsillitis, pharyngitis, pneumonia, scarlet fever, impetigo and erysipelas. Whereas scarlet fever is a typical childhood disease, erysipelas mainly affects adults. In today’s conditions, among the numerous nosological forms of streptococcal infection, erysipelas, which is quite rarely observed in children, has become the focus of our attention.

The aim of the work is to define clinical manifestations of erysipelas in children depending on the localization of the pathological process and analyze the obtained results.

Patients and methods. Observations were conducted in 15 children with erysipelas, aged 2 to 17 years, who were receiving inpatient treatment at the Lviv Regional Infectious Clinical Diseases Hospital during 2018-2023. The diagnosis of erysipelas was based on typical clinical manifestations of the disease, epidemiological anamnesis, bacteriological, generally accepted laboratory results as well as biochemical, instrumental, immunological research methods.

Results. Within the 6-year period of our observations (2018-2023), 15 children with erysipelas were admitted to the hospital for treatment. It should be noted that 11 out of 15 children were hospitalized during the second half of 2023, predominantly in summer months.

According to our clinical study, the localization of the inflammatory process on the faces, ears and hair parts of the heads in the number of children with erysipelas turned out to be unexpectedly high – in 9 (60.0 %) patients. The onset of the disease in all patients was acute and was characterized by the rapid development of such symptoms as intoxication, headache, vomiting, which preceded the local manifestations of the disease from several hours to 1-2 days. The body temperature reached 38-40 °C. Three children, who consulted an otolaryngologist, were bothered by the ache in their ears. Leg rash, diagnosed in 5 (33.3 %) children, began with pain in the groin, enlarged lymph nodes, increased body temperature up to 39-40 °C and chills. On the 2nd day, skin reddening occurred and a significant infiltration of the underlying soft tissues could be observed in the area of localization of the pathological process, which corresponded to the signs of the erythematous form of the disease. A particularly severe course of erysipelas, which developed against the background of chicken pox, was observed in a 7-year-old child.

The dominant route of infection was exogenous. The provoking factors that preceded and contributed to the development of the disease were insect bites, scrapes, scratches and microtraumas. In two patients with facial erysipelas, who frequently suffered from tonsillitis and sinusitis, there was a high probability of endogenous infectioning, since S. pyogenes was extracted from their oropharyngeal mucus as a result of bacteriological examination.

Conclusions. 1. According to the localization of the pathological process in children, erysipelas of the face, ears, and hair part of the head dominated and was characterized by severe course of the disease.

  1. Among the clinical forms of erysipelas, the erythematous type was dominant, with all its typical manifestations.

3. In some children with facial erysipelas, an endogenous route of infection can be assumed, which is confirmed by the extraction of S. pyogenes during a bacteriological examination of mucus from the oropharynx.

Author Biographies

O. V. Prokopiv, Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University

MD, Professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases Department

S. A. Lysheniuk, Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University

канд. мед. наук, доцентка кафедри дитячих інфекційних хвороб

H. M. Karmazyn, Lviv Regional Infectious Diseases Clinical Hospital

PhD, head of the diagnostic department

References

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Published

2024-10-11

How to Cite

Prokopiv, O. V., Lysheniuk, S. A., & Karmazyn, H. M. (2024). ERYSIPELAS IN CHILDREN IN TODAY’S CONDITIONS. Infectious Diseases – Infektsiyni Khvoroby, (3), 47–52. https://doi.org/10.11603/1681-2727.2024.3.14877

Issue

Section

Original investigations