title: [Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome is a rare disease caused by Staphylococcus aureus that produces exfoliative toxins. There are few epidemiological data in our environment.
  
  
  METHODS
  We present an observational cohort study. We review the cases of staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome monitored at La Paz Children Hospital during the last ten years (January 1997 to December 2006).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We obtained 26 patients, 7 in the first 5 years and 19 more in the following years. The mean age at diagnosis was 19 months. Four cases (15%) occurred during the neonatal period. Sixty-seven percent of the cases were diagnosed during spring and summer. Main clinical signs were: erythroderma with blisters and posterior desquamation (100%), perioral fissures (54%), fever (46%), conjunctivitis (42%) and palpebral edema (31%). No significant increases in leukocytes (mean: 11,341/.l) or C-reactive protein (mean: 9 mg/l) were found on blood analysis. Diagnosis was made by clinical findings. S. aureus was isolated in nasal or conjunctival samples on 59% of cases. All strains were sensitive to cloxacillin, clindamycin and vancomycin. The patients were treated with cloxacillin with good progress.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome seems to be more common in the last few years. It must be suspected in children with acute erythroderma and perioral or conjunctival lesions. Treatment with cloxacillin leads to healing without sequelae.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Universitario Infantil La Paz, Madrid, Spain. ananso@yahoo.es
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Nso Roca
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baquero-Artigao
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: García-Miguel
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: de José Gómez
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Aracil Santos
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: del Castillo Martín
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D013206:Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy