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Cellulitis Symptoms
A person's cellulitis symptoms can occur at the location of the infected skin (local symptoms) or they can occur on other parts of the body (systemic symptoms). Signs and symptoms that occur at the location of the infected skin have four common characteristics: redness, warmth, swelling, and pain when touched. Systemic symptoms can include fever, chills, muscle aches, and fatigue.
Cellulitis is an infection of the skin. Symptoms of cellulitis can occur at the location of the infected skin (local cellulitis) or they can occur on other parts of the body (systemic cellulitis).
Cellulitis symptoms that occur at the location of the infected skin have four common characteristics, which are:
- Redness
- Warm to the touch
- Swelling
- Painful to the touch.
Other common symptoms include swollen lymph nodes close to the area of infection or red streak marks up the arm or leg.
Symptoms that affect the whole body may cause a person to experience flu-like symptoms. Common systemic symptoms of cellulitis can include:
- Fever
- Chills
- Muscle aches
- Fatigue.
Not everyone with cellulitis will have these systemic symptoms. However, these symptoms can represent a more serious type of cellulitis.
In rare cases, complications can occur with cellulitis. These complications include:
- An abscess (a pus-filled cavity resulting from inflammation)
- Toxic shock-like syndrome
- Spreading of the cellulitis to the heart (endocarditis) or bone (osteomyelitis)
- Death.
Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD