[Primary and secondary hospitalization criteria].
The reference therapy for erysipelas is penicillin G given intravenously. Since I.V. injections are difficult to perform at home, hospitalization would seem mandatory. However, many cases of erysipelas are actually treated at home (cf. results of the 2 surveys concerning general practice). The lack of studies on non-hospitalized erysipelas patients makes it difficult to answer the following question: "What are the criteria for primary and secondary hospitalization?" The literature suggests, mostly indirectly, that the reasons of primary hospitalization are: the severity of general (fever, impairment of general condition, confusion) or local (blisters, purpura, skin necrosis, extent of the cellulitis, facial involvement) signs and symptoms, old age, associated diseases (diabetes, alcoholism, obesity, cardiovascular disease), the practical modalities of the treatment (penicillin given intravenously, bed rest), or the necessity to eliminate deep venous thrombosis. The reasons for secondary hospitalization are above all the (true or suspected) failure of oral antibiotherapy at home, or the occurrence of local complications. True criteria of primary or secondary hospitalization remain to be defined by adequate prospective studies performed in both in and outpatients. They will depend of the emerging possibilities of successfully treating erysipelas by oral antibiotics.
Bernard
P
P
Service de Dermatologie, CHU Robert-Debré, Reims, France.
D004886:Erysipelas / Q000628:therapy*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans