Several common conditions can mimic cellulitis, creating a potential for misdiagnosis and incorrect management. The most common disorders mistaken for lower limb cellulitis include venous eczema, lipodermatosclerosis, irritant dermatitis, and lymphedema.
What can be misdiagnosed as cellulitis?
Many inflammatory dermatoses of the skin clinically mimic cellulitis (aka pseudocellulitis), leading to a misdiagnosis rate of 30% to 90%. Common mimickers of cellulitis include venous stasis dermatitis, lymphedema, deep venous thrombosis, gout, and contact dermatitis.
What looks like cellulitis but is not?
Contact dermatitis can also look very similar to cellulitis. Contact dermatitis happens when out skin touches something that can cause a rash. It happens in everyone at least once in our lives.
Can cellulitis be a symptom of something else?
“Cellulitis is often overdiagnosed or misdiagnosed, and there are many conditions which can mimic it,” says Rachel Bystritsky, MD, a clinical fellow in the department of infectious diseases at the University of California in San Francisco.
How do you rule out cellulitis?
Cellulitis Diagnosis1A blood test if they think the infection has spread to your blood.2An X-ray if there's a foreign object in your skin or the bone underneath is possibly infected.3A culture. The doctor will use a needle to remove fluid from the area and send it to the lab.Cellulitis - Symptoms, Causes, Treatments, & More - WebMD
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