However, "approximately one-third of people with cellulitis suffer recurrent episodes and the only proven strategy for preventing this is long-term, low-dose oral penicillin." Performing post-treatment swabbing and confirming eradication of group A β-hemolytic streptococci infection reduces the chance of perianal streptococcal dermatitis recurrence. In about 20% of cases, recurrence of perianal streptococcal dermatitis infection occurs within 3.5 months. In the case of perianal cellulitis, maintaining the dryness of the site and addressing the infection with topical antifungal ointment is sufficient to prevent recurrent infection for a duration between 3 and 6 weeks. Potential risk factors for perianal streptococcal dermatitis include: poor living conditions, atopic dermatitis, and malnutrition. Routine hygiene practices should also be encouraged in children and adults in order to reduce the risk of recurrent infection. Prescribed antibiotic regimens should also be adhered to until completion, so as to avoid the risk of developing a multi-resistant strain of infection in the future.Proper screening measures should be followed as perianal cellulitis continues to be severely underdiagnosed. Perianal cellulitis is often misdiagnosed as other skin conditions, such as diaper rash (in infants), eczema, psoriasis, hemorrhoids, and more. Epidemiology
The incidence of perianal streptococcal dermatitis in the pediatric population has not been determined. It is believed that the lack of data is due to the difficulty clinicians face recognizing perianal streptococcal dermatitis. Perianal streptococcal dermatitis most commonly affects children between 6 months and 10 years old, with males being more commonly affected than females.
Results from a systematic literature review further supports this as a majority of childhood cases of perianal streptococcal cellulitis occurred in males younger than 7 years old.While traditionally thought to be a disease specific to children, there have been case reports of perianal streptococcal dermatitis in adults. Etymology
The term perianal is made up of two components, peri- (Greek prefix meaning "about" or "around") and anal ("related to, or involving the anus"). Cellulitis describes a bacterial infection affecting the lower layers of the skin.Historically, perianal cellulitis may be referred to as perianal streptococcal dermatitis. However, perianal cellulitis is best understood to be a cellulitis, an infection of the inner layers of skin, rather than a dermatitis, which implies an irritation of the outermost layers of skin (the epidermis). See also
List of cutaneous conditions
CDC List of Group A Streptococcal Diseases

References


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