NHS Choices Condition
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Impetigo is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the skin. There are two types of impetigo:
- non-bullous impetigo, which causes sores that quickly rupture leaving a yellow-brown crust, and
- bullous impetigo, which causes large, painless, fluid-filled blisters.
Non-bullous impetigo is the most common, accounting for over 70% of cases.
The condition is most common in children, normally occurring between the ages of two and four. However, it can affect adults, especially if they are living in a confined environment such as an army barracks.
Antibiotic creams are recommended to treat the infection and to minimise the risk of the condition spreading.
Impetigo is normally not serious, though it is important to take precautions to avoid spreading it to other people, especially newborn babies. These include carefully washing hands after touching the affected areas of skin and not sharing towels or bed linen.
Most people are no longer contagious after 48 hours of treatment or once their sores have dried and healed.
Complications of impetigo are very rare. They include the infection spreading to the lymph nodes (lymphadenitis) or to a deeper layer of skin (cellulitis). Very rarely the infection can also spread to the kidneys, though this occurs in less than 1% of cases.
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