edHelper.com
Illnesses

Cellulitis

Cellulitis
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   6.55

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    bloodstream, circulation, clot, connective, diabetic, life-threatening, lymph, meningitis, nauseous, repellant, susceptible, ulcer, antibiotic, commonly, maintain, therefore

Print Cellulitis
edHelper.com subscriber options:
     Print Cellulitis  (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more)
     Quickly print reading comprehension
     Print a proofreading activity

Feedback on Cellulitis
     Leave your feedback on Cellulitis  (use this link if you found an error in the story)

Cellulitis
By Jennifer Kenny 		  
1     Did you ever hear of cellulitis? No, it's not the dimpled fat on the back of the legs. That's cellulite. Cellulitis has nothing to do with that. It's actually a bacterial infection of the skin. It can be very serious, although it is more common than you think.
 
2     The human skin has three layers. Cellulitis is an infection that goes to the deepest layer, the subcutaneous layer. Now, bacteria actually live on human skin all the time. If the skin is intact, though, bacteria don't get inside the body. If there are breaks in the skin, however, the bacteria can get inside and cause an infection. The two most common types of bacteria that cause cellulitis are streptococcus and staphylococcus.
 
3     Cellulitis is most commonly found on the skin on the face or the lower legs, especially the shins and ankles. However, it can occur anywhere. The bacteria just need a place to enter. Sometimes it's at the site of a bug bite. Sometimes the skin is cracked because of dry skin or swollen skin. Perhaps there's a cut, a wound, or an ulcer. Maybe the person just had surgery, or has athlete's foot, or suffers from dermatitis.

Paragraphs 4 to 9:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable
Copyright © 2008 edHelper