$Unique_ID{PAR00026}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medical Advice:  Blood Poisoning}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Chasnoff, Ira J}
$Subject{Blood Poisoning Wavy pink red streaks under skin Sudden fever
Swollen lymph nodes bacterial infection bloodstream infections bacteria}
$Log{}

Your Child:  A Medical Guide


Blood Poisoning


     Quick Reference

     SYMPTOMS
     - Wavy pink or red streaks under the skin
     - Sudden, quickly rising high fever
     - Swollen or tender lymph nodes

     HOME CARE
     - Call your doctor.  Elevate the affected part of the body.
     - Apply warm soaks of Epsom salts solution (one-half cup of Epsom salts
       in a quart of water).  If there is an infected blister, include it in
       the soaks.  Give aspirin or acetaminophen for pain and fever.

     PRECAUTIONS
     - Always contact your doctor, since blood poisoning should usually be
       treated with antibiotics.
     - If a child has a high fever or is prostrate (in a state of collapse),
       call a medical facility immediately.


     Blood poisoning is the spread of a bacterial infection into the
bloodstream.  In popular usage, blood poisoning refers to the development of
red streaks from an infected wound or blister.  These red streaks resemble
broad, wobbly, red pencil marks.  The streaks quickly (within hours) extend in
the direction of the heart.  They are signs of the infection traveling along
the lymph vessels of the affected part of the body.  If ignored, the spreading
germs can--within hours or days--reach the bloodstream.
     As the bacteria travel along the lymph channels and enter the lymph
nodes, the nodes swell, become tender, and sometimes redden as their cells
fight and kill the germs.  If the lymph nodes succeed in fighting off the
poisonous bacteria, the infection is halted.  A fever below 100 degrees_F or
the absence of a fever indicates that the germs have not reached the
bloodstream.  A sudden, quickly rising high fever (over 101 degrees_F)
generally means that they have entered the bloodstream.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     In a good light, the pink or red, slightly wavy lines are easily seen
just under the skin.  These lines may be one inch to several feet long.  The
lymph nodes toward which these red streaks lead are often swollen and tender.
     Blood poisoning can occur during early infancy, when natural resistance
to infection is low; symptoms include irritability, fever, and poor feeding.
Beyond infancy, blood poisoning results in high fever, chills, and prostration
(extreme exhaustion or collapse).

HOME CARE

     If blood poisoning occurs, call your doctor.  Elevate the affected part
of the body.  Apply warm soaks of Epsom salts solution (one-half cup in a
quart of water) to the entire area.  If there is an unopened infected blister
at the source, include the blister in the soaks.  Give aspirin or
acetaminophen for pain and fever, following the dosage recommended on the
label.

PRECAUTIONS

  -  Always contact your doctor.  Blood poisoning is best treated with
     antibiotics.
  -  If a child with blood poisoning has a high fever or is prostrate (in a
     state of collapse), contact a medical facility promptly.

MEDICAL TREATMENT

     Your doctor will give your child antibiotics by mouth or by injection.
The doctor may open and drain the point of infection.  Culture of the blood or
of material from the site of the original infection may be necessary.
Laboratory tests, including blood studies and a urinalysis, may be necessary.
Hospitalization may be necessary if the blood poisoning is severe.

RELATED TOPICS:  Blisters; Cuts; Fever; Glands, swollen; Puncture wounds