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Skin Problems
Erythrasma
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Erythrasma is very serious skin disease. It is an infection in the skin that developed by the corynebacterium minutissimum bacterium.
The bacterial infection may develop many patches in pink color that may turn into brown scales.
Erythrasma is affecting the skin folds such as in the groin, under the arms and between the toes.
It presents as a brown or pink dry skin. This disease also caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation for a long period.
The incidence of erythrasma is higher, in people who have diabetes or who are overweight and in warm climates. This disease is also higher in black people.
Initially it is light red in color and after some time it become brown in color.
Use of woods light, doctor can easily examine erythrasma. In woods light test, ultraviolet A identifies the infected area by a red fluorescent color.
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Causes:
- C minutissimum is the causative agent.
- C minutissimum ferments sucrose, glucose, dextrose, mannitol and maltose.
- The bacterium is a gram-positive, lipophilic and aerobic diphtheroid.
- Obesity, diabetes mellitus and other immunocompromised states
- Excessive hyperhidrosis
Risk factors for Erythrasma
Tropical areas and Diabetes are the main risk factors of erythrasma.
Symptoms
symptoms of erythrasma may include the following:
- skin infection in skin folds
- skin infection in groin
- skin infection between toes
- skin infection between buttocks
- skin infection under breasts
Diagnosis:
Diagnosis of erythrasma includes culture of scrapings from the lesion and the ultraviolet test. It can easily diagnose with corynebacterium glows coral red under an ultraviolet light test.
Treatment:
Erythrasma can be treated with antiseptic such as:-
- Antibacterial soap and erythromycin gel.
- Clindamycin solution
- Fusidic acid cream
- Whitfield’s ointment
- Tetracycline or erythromycin
Complications:
This disease without diagnose and treatment can present complications like post surgical wound infection, infective endocarditis in valvular heart disease and fatal septicemia in immunocompromised patients.
Preventions:
- One should keep the skin dry.
- Before starting any type of treatment, keep the skin clean by washing with mild soap and Luke warm water.
- One must be avoiding excessive moisture or heat.
- One may be wearing clean absorbent clothing.
- One should maintain healthy body weight.
- One should wear open-toe shoes.
- One should keep intertriginous areas clean and dry.
- One should avoid excessive humidity
- One or child exhibit the scaly brown or pink patches of erythrasma; call the health care provider as soon as possible.