SPONTANEOUS CELLULITIS IN ADULTS WITH NEP HROTIC SYNDROME

Cellulitis without primary underlying skin lesion is a common problem in patients with nephrotic syndrome especially in children. There are few recent reports oi cellulitis in adult patients with nephrotic synd rome. We present three adult patients severely edematous with nephroti c syndrome and cellulitis. The organisms responsible for the infection were Escherichia coli in two cases and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in one. Two patients with broad cutaneous lesions presented systemic signs. O ne oi them had a gangrenous cellulitis and surgical debridement was ne eded. Spontaneous cellulitis in patients with nephrotic syndrome may s pread rapidly. It is recommended, at the first suspicion of a cellulit is, to treat these patients with broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy whi le awaiting results of bacteriology cultures and sensitivity tests.