Children with periorbital erysipelas can be treated with cephalexin 250 mg PO qid for 7 days or 25 -50 mg/kg/ day q6hrs.
a) True _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Wrong answer ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ b) False _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Correct ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ Answer and Commentary _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Erysipelas is a serious form of cellulitis usually caused by Group A strep and patients should be admitted to hospital for iv therapy. The recommended treatment is cefazolin 1 g iv q8hrs for adults and cefuroxime 100-150 mg/kg/day q8hrs for children. It presents frequently with a small, insignificant entrance wound or break in the skin - e.g. herpes simplex sore or insect bite - which predates the development of significant pain, erythema and edema. The patient often has constitutional symptoms as well, such as fever and chills, and prompt attention is required. In mild cases of erysipelas or cellulitis, oral antibiotics can be given. ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯
