Left untreated this infection could lead to sepsis, something that can prove fatal Get the latest top news stories sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter We have more newsletters Get the latest top news stories sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter We have more newsletters A health expert has urged people not to ignore a red line on the skin as it could signal a medical emergency. Doctor Joe Whittington, from the US, revealed that red "streaking" could be a symptom of a dangerous infection. Dr Whittington, who is better known online as Dr Joe MD , shared another content creator’s video on social media platform TikTok.
This video showed a person with a thick red line travelling from the toes up the leg. Speaking over this video, Dr Joe explained that this could be a symptom of lymphangitis. If not treated promptly this infection can lead to abscesses forming or even sepsis, he said.
Dr Joe said: “If you see this red streaking, it's a bad sign. This is something called lymphangitis and it occurs when there's a localised infection. But you see red streaking that courses up from the infection side.
This means there's been infection of the lymphatic system, which means it’s no longer localised, it's now spreading throughout the body. This is a medical emergency that needs to be treated with antibiotics.” In the caption below he explained more about this condition.
“Lymphangitis is an inflammation of the lymphatic vessels, often caused by a .