“What are the symptoms of a staph infection? ”
My husband was recently in the hospital, and since getting home he has been extremely sick and has blisters. Could this be a staph infection? Should he be brought back to the hospital?
1 Answer
Symptoms of staph infection vary by location (lungs, bladder, skin), but in general for skin infections with staph should expect to see redness, increased warmth, and usually tenderness of the area. Staph often is associated with abscess formation, so may see local area of swelling / bulging tissue, that may feel fluctuant (a bit like a water balloon). If the infection spreads, can develop fevers, chills, sweats. In general, should start off by seeing your Primary Care Provider or an Urgent Care for small or early skin infections. The Emergency Department only if see red marks moving up a limb from the original infection location ("streaking"), involves about 1/4 or more of the limb--much earlier if diabetic, elderly, immunocompromised, have indwelling hardware / grafts / shunts, or other complicated medical patients.
Donald W. Alves, MD, MS, FACEP
Donald W. Alves, MD, MS, FACEP
