Scalded skin syndrome

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Ritter disease; Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSS)

• Blisters
• Fever
• Large areas of skin peel or fall away (exfoliation or desquamation)
• Painful skin
• Redness of the skin (erythema), which spreads to cover most of the body
• Skin slips off with gentle pressure, leaving wet red areas (Nikolsky's sign)

• Positive Nikolsky's sign (skin slipping off when rubbed)

Tests include:

• Complete blood count (CBC)
• Cultures of the skin and throat
• Electrolyte test
• Skin biopsy (done only in rare cases, such as when the skin condition may be due to a drug reaction known as toxic epidermal necrolysis or TEN)

Review Date: 12/01/2009
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).

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