[Intertrigo in patients with lower limb lymphedema. Clinical and laboratory correlation]

Cutaneous lesions in the interdigital spaces are commonly seen in lymphedema patients and their prevention and suitable care is one of the cornerstones of any successful treatment, by preventing acute inflammations and additional worsening in limb volume and fibrosis. We obtained swab specimens from the interdigital area from 21 patients followed in the Lymphedema Unit of the Department of Vascular Surgery of the University of São Paulo; thirteen of them had lesions suggestive of tinea pedis. The pathological agent could be identified in 11 out of these 13 patients: fungal infection alone was responsible for seven lesions, Corynebacterium minutissimum for another two and both agents were isolated from two patients. Although two patients had evident clinical lesion of the skin, no fungal or bacterial species could be isolated. From the eight patients without interdigital lesions, Candida and Corynebacterium was found in one. We concluded that clinical examination has a high sensibility (84%) and specificity (91%) but the high prevalence of Corynebacterium minutissimum suggests that adequate treatment should follow careful laboratory examination.