Acute Inflammatory Edema: A Frequently Overlooked Case of Pseudocellulitis
Hendra Gunawan, Dini Atiyah, Retno Hesty Maharani, Yogi Faldian, Ravika Khaila Arrum Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran - Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, West Java, IndonesiaCorrespondence: Hendra Gunawan, Department of Dermatology an...
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Dove Medical Press
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology |
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| author | Gunawan H Atiyah D Maharani RH Faldian Y Arrum RK |
| author_facet | Gunawan H Atiyah D Maharani RH Faldian Y Arrum RK |
| author_sort | Gunawan H |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hendra Gunawan, Dini Atiyah, Retno Hesty Maharani, Yogi Faldian, Ravika Khaila Arrum Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran - Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, West Java, IndonesiaCorrespondence: Hendra Gunawan, Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran - Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Jl. Pasteur 38, Bandung, West Java, 40161, Indonesia, Tel +6281221111215, Email h.gunawan2016@unpad.ac.idAbstract: Pseudocellulitis is a non-necrotizing inflammation of the dermis and hypodermis with a non-infectious etiology. One of the variants of pseudocellulitis is acute inflammatory edema (AIE), characterized by bilateral, erythematous, and edematous plaques, often found in critically ill patients. AIE is a rarely reported and frequently overlooked case of pseudocellulitis. Therefore, it needs to be differentiated from classic cellulitis, which has different management and prognosis. This case report aimed to present a case of AIE in a critically ill patient. A 71-year-old woman was admitted to intensive care with reddish swelling on four extremities. She was suffering from sepsis caused by pneumonia, congestive heart failure, tubulointerstitial disease, and hypoalbuminemia. A physical examination showed bilateral erythematous and edematous plaques that palpably felt warm. ALT-70 score was 4, indicating not likely true cellulitis. The patient was diagnosed with AIE and treated with a compression bandage, diuretics, and medications for underlying diseases. The lesions improved significantly on the second day of evaluation; unfortunately, respiratory failure caused the patient’s death. Critically ill patients may have AIE misdiagnosed as cellulitis. Therefore, clinicians need to be well-versed in pseudocellulitis, especially AIE, to improve patient outcomes.Keywords: acute inflammatory edema, cellulitis, critical illness, pseudocellulitis |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e6391953c93d443fa9cd8b3518c66a2b |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1178-7015 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Dove Medical Press |
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| series | Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology |
| spelling | doaj-art-e6391953c93d443fa9cd8b3518c66a2b2025-08-20T02:40:41ZengDove Medical PressClinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology1178-70152025-03-01Volume 18729733101460Acute Inflammatory Edema: A Frequently Overlooked Case of PseudocellulitisGunawan HAtiyah DMaharani RHFaldian YArrum RKHendra Gunawan, Dini Atiyah, Retno Hesty Maharani, Yogi Faldian, Ravika Khaila Arrum Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran - Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, West Java, IndonesiaCorrespondence: Hendra Gunawan, Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran - Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Jl. Pasteur 38, Bandung, West Java, 40161, Indonesia, Tel +6281221111215, Email h.gunawan2016@unpad.ac.idAbstract: Pseudocellulitis is a non-necrotizing inflammation of the dermis and hypodermis with a non-infectious etiology. One of the variants of pseudocellulitis is acute inflammatory edema (AIE), characterized by bilateral, erythematous, and edematous plaques, often found in critically ill patients. AIE is a rarely reported and frequently overlooked case of pseudocellulitis. Therefore, it needs to be differentiated from classic cellulitis, which has different management and prognosis. This case report aimed to present a case of AIE in a critically ill patient. A 71-year-old woman was admitted to intensive care with reddish swelling on four extremities. She was suffering from sepsis caused by pneumonia, congestive heart failure, tubulointerstitial disease, and hypoalbuminemia. A physical examination showed bilateral erythematous and edematous plaques that palpably felt warm. ALT-70 score was 4, indicating not likely true cellulitis. The patient was diagnosed with AIE and treated with a compression bandage, diuretics, and medications for underlying diseases. The lesions improved significantly on the second day of evaluation; unfortunately, respiratory failure caused the patient’s death. Critically ill patients may have AIE misdiagnosed as cellulitis. Therefore, clinicians need to be well-versed in pseudocellulitis, especially AIE, to improve patient outcomes.Keywords: acute inflammatory edema, cellulitis, critical illness, pseudocellulitishttps://www.dovepress.com/acute-inflammatory-edema-a-frequently-overlooked-case-of-pseudocelluli-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-CCIDacute inflammatory edemacellulitiscritical illnesspseudocellulitis |
| spellingShingle | Gunawan H Atiyah D Maharani RH Faldian Y Arrum RK Acute Inflammatory Edema: A Frequently Overlooked Case of Pseudocellulitis Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology acute inflammatory edema cellulitis critical illness pseudocellulitis |
| title | Acute Inflammatory Edema: A Frequently Overlooked Case of Pseudocellulitis |
| title_full | Acute Inflammatory Edema: A Frequently Overlooked Case of Pseudocellulitis |
| title_fullStr | Acute Inflammatory Edema: A Frequently Overlooked Case of Pseudocellulitis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Acute Inflammatory Edema: A Frequently Overlooked Case of Pseudocellulitis |
| title_short | Acute Inflammatory Edema: A Frequently Overlooked Case of Pseudocellulitis |
| title_sort | acute inflammatory edema a frequently overlooked case of pseudocellulitis |
| topic | acute inflammatory edema cellulitis critical illness pseudocellulitis |
| url | https://www.dovepress.com/acute-inflammatory-edema-a-frequently-overlooked-case-of-pseudocelluli-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-CCID |
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