Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome
Andy from Winfield, Ala. was diagnosed as having a peanut allergy by his pediatrician when he was 5 months old. A couple days before being seen, a scratch on his forehead and a small rash on his face were noticed. His mother thought it was because of an allergy to baby food he was fed that day which caused his face to breakout. The next day, Andy's face was swollen and the rash had gotten worse. He had blisters on his back and in his groin area. That’s when he was taken to see his pediatrician, only to be told it was a peanut allergy because his mother had been eating peanut candy while holding him. Later that night he was worse. He constantly screamed, his face was swollen, his skin was blistering and peeling off and he was having trouble breathing. He was rushed to Children's Hospital immediately and was diagnosed with SSSS, a serious yet rare condition known as Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome that is life threatening. Andy almost died from it. He spent almost a week at Children's where he was treated with excellent care by an outstanding team of doctors and nurses. “We are so thankful to Children's Hospital for taking such good care of our baby and saving his life. Children's is the best hospital in Alabama and we are so thankful that they were able to help him. Every one of the nurses and doctors that helped treat him were kind and comforting to us. They really care about you and they went out of their way to see that we were comfortable and cared for, as well as Andy. Children's saved our baby's life and for that we are so grateful!" -Tiffany and Chris Pugh
