One of the primary causes of resistance in bacteria is the unnecessary use of antimicrobials due to misdiagnosis. Unfortunately, one-third of cellulitis case, which is a bacterial skin problem, is misdiagnosed, according to a study from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
The research covered examinations and medical records of 259 patients hospitalized due to "lower extremity cellulitis" within a 30-month period. The findings revealed that 79 of the subjects did not suffer from cellulitis, 92 percent of the cases did not need antibiotics, while 85 percent did not need to be hospitalized.
The study estimated that misdiagnosis of skin problems results in 130,000 cases of unnecessary hospitalizations which may cost $515 million of medical spending. Antibiotic resistance also predisposes patients to thousands of fatal infections.
Pseudocellulitis is a condition that "mimics signs and symptoms of cellulitis, which makes diagnosis difficult, especially since there are no laboratory or imaging studies that reliably differentiate the two," Dr. Arash Mostaghimi, director of dermatology inpatient consult service of Brigham and Women's Hospital said. "Meanwhile, cellulitis is a deep infection of the skin's underlying tissues."
Bacteria called Streptococcus are the primary cause of this skin problem. These microorganisms can invade the body by penetrating the skin in the presence of burn, bruise, wound or surgical incisions. Patients suffering from this disease have swollen lymph nodes or glands as well as painful, tender and red rashes.
The study published in the Journal JAMA Dermatology recommended that -to avoid misdiagnosis of skin problems like cellulitis, patients should visit dermatologists before hospital admission.