DOCTORS SAY IF YOU NOTICE THIS, YOU NEED EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE.
As the largest organ in your body, your skin can tell you a lot about your health. But given that a range of rashes looks more or less the same to the untrained eye. It may be difficult to distinguish between severe skin symptoms and those that are superficial. That’s why doctors sound the alarm about one skin symptom, which they warn can signify a significant medical emergency. When this type of rash appears, they say that time is of the essence before this life-threatening condition progresses past a point of no return. Read on to learn what to look out for.
According to medical experts, having a red line or streak on your skin that grows in length is a severe symptom that may indicate sepsis.
The Mayo Clinic adds that while most people can recover from sepsis. The mortality rate becomes 40 percent if it progresses to septic shock.
The rash, known as lymphangitis, is usually caused by a viral, bacterial, or fungal infection.
A woman in a blue shirt was photographed from behind talking to a young doctor with a stethoscope around her neck iStock
Lymphangitis
The line, known as infectious lymphangitis, occurs when bacteria, viruses, or fungus cause inflammation and infection in the lymphatic channels. According to Healthline, “the most common infectious cause of lymphangitis is an acute streptococcal infection”. Staph infections also cause their fair share of cases. These may result from existing internal conditions or can enter the body via an open wound.
Esper, a PhD in biological sciences, says there’s an easy way to track whether redness on your skin or around an open wound is spreading. “Take a pen and mark around the site. Draw a border around the redness,”. “Does the redness go beyond that mark [the next day]? If you’re on antibiotics and the redness goes beyond those markings. We’re on the wrong antibiotics, or we need something more powerful.”
However, this “wait and see” approach only applies if the redness radiates from a wound evenly, indicating a more widespread infection. If it takes the form of a line or streak along a vein, don’t wait to call for medical assistance.
Esper also recommends seeking medical care if, in addition to this sign of infection, any other symptoms of sepsis arise, including mental decline, a fever, or fatigue.