Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the preventive effects of compression therapy on cellulitis in patients with lymphedema. The study included 82 patients（110 limbs）who received compression therapy for lymphedema and were followed-up as outpatients for 6 months or longer. Exclusion criteria were patients who had malignant lymphedema, who had undergone surgical treatment for lymphedema, who were on prophylactic antibacterial therapy, or who had an ankle brachial pressure index of less than 0.5. On comparison of the incidence of cellulitis before and after the first visit to our hospital, the mean number of cellulitis episodes per limb over a 6-month period decreased from 0.71 to 0.07（p<0.001）. The mean number of recurrent episodes of cellulitis per limb over a 6-month period decreased from 2.8 to 1.0（p<0.01）. The preventive effects of compression therapy on cellulitis for lymphedema were found to be related with the level of compression, frequency of wearing of compression garments, and stage of lymphedema. Compression therapy that is appropriate for the stage of lymphedema is considered to be effective for preventing cellulitis
