Impetigo is a common skin condition that is usually caused by strains of Staphylococcus aureus . It is particularly common in infants and young children and may be either a primary infection or a complication of an existing pruritic skin condition such as eczema, scabies or insect bites. Impetigo is more common during warm weather, and lesions tend to occur on the face, flexures and exposed portions of limbs. Small localized lesions may respond to treatment with topical antibiotics such as 2 percent mupirocin ointment, but larger lesions require treatment with systemic antibiotics.
Scrupulous hygiene is essential to prevent spread of the infection.
A beta-hemolytic streptococci and, in these cases, urine tests should be performed after two weeks and four weeks to screen for poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis. A normal adult excretes approximately 80 mg of protein daily in the urine. Excretion of more than 150 mg per day is regarded as pathologic and may occur as a result of increased glomerular permeability to proteins, impaired tubular reabsorption or interstitial renal damage. Transient proteinuria occurs after exercise as well as in several systemic disorders, including fever, severe dermatologic conditions and heart failure. In diabetic patients, the excretion of albumin is a marker for diabetic nephropathy and indicates the need for tight control of diabetes.