Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome: An Epidemiological And Clinical Review Of 84 Cases

In 84 pediatric individuals with a clinical diagnosis of staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS) seen at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between January 1994 and March 2016, a retrospective cohort study was conducted to characterize the epidemiology, clinical features, and management of pediatric SSSS. For the patients in this study, 3.1 ± 2.4 years was the mean age of diagnosis. All patients presented with erythema and exfoliation, while 64/84 (76%) presented with vesicles/ bullae. The most common symptom was skin tenderness, seen in 68/84 (81%) subjects. Staphylococcus aureus was more commonly isolated from periorificial cultures than from bullae. Mean hospitalization was 4.7 ± 2.3 days. Between children receiving clindamycin and those that did not, there was no difference found in admission duration. The only risk factor leading to more complications and prolonged hospitalization was skin debridement. No fatalities were seen, and severe complications were found in 4 (5%) cases. In the differential diagnosis of infants and children with new-onset erythema, exfoliation, and/or vesiculation, healthcare providers should consider SSSS. The results indicated that suspected culprit pathogens were more often obtained from periorificial swabs; nevertheless, for exfoliative toxin, these isolates were not investigated to confirm causality. Sensitivity testing should guide antibiotic testing.

​

Source