Q I'm going to a Korean medicine clinic for dyshidrotic eczema. What symptoms mean I should go to a hospital or emergency room immediately?
A Dyshidrotic eczema itself is not life-threatening, but the following warning signs require immediate hospital care. If yellow oozing or pus from burst blisters worsens, or honey-colored thick crusts form along with fever, suspect secondary bacterial infection. If the hands or feet become red and swollen with severe pain and accompanying fever, it may be a sign of spreading infection, and you should be seen right away.
Detailed Answer
Here are warning signs you must keep in mind. First, if yellow oozing or pus from a burst blister worsens or a thick honey-colored crust forms, suspect secondary bacterial infection by organisms such as Staphylococcus aureus and consider antibiotic treatment, all the more so if high fever and severe redness accompany it. Second, if the hands or feet are red and swollen, tender to the touch, and you feel heat spreading, it may be a spreading infection such as cellulitis, requiring immediate care. Third, if painful pustules spread rapidly over the blistered area, herpes infection (eczema herpeticum, Kaposi varicelliform eruption) is also possible and requires prompt evaluation.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
Even during treatment at Dongjedang, if the above warning signs appear, you should immediately stop Korean medicine treatment and first visit a nearby conventional or emergency medical facility. It is safe to first control bacterial or viral infection with the appropriate treatment, and after recovery resume Korean medicine treatment to prevent recurrence. If anything unusual is suspected, please tell your Korean medicine doctor right away at any time.
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I've had dyshidrotic eczema for over 10 years that flares on both palms and soles. Can even this improve with Korean medicine treatment?
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