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Cellulitis - acute - Management
Basis for recommendation
These are pragmatic recommendations that are consistent with Guidelines on the management of cellulitis, published by the Clinical Resource Efficiency Support Team [CREST, 2005].
- There is a lack of evidence on the optimal duration of antibiotic treatment, but clinical experience suggests that uncomplicated cases usually respond after 1–2 weeks. It is therefore prudent to prescribe a week's course of antibiotics, and follow up to ascertain whether further treatment is required. It is important to continue treatment until the condition is fully resolved.
- People should be encouraged to return if local symptoms deteriorate or systemic symptoms develop as this would put them into the referral category. However, increased erythema is sometimes reported during the first 48 hours of treatment, and is thought to be related to toxin release.
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