Prophylaxis of Recurrent Erysipelas in Lower Limbs: compreSsion thErapy vs aNTibiotics and Compression Therapy.

Plain-language summary

Erysipelas (superficial cellulitis) is a frequent streptococcal bacterial infection. Each episode of erysipelas may worsen preexisting lymphedema and evolve to life-threatening necrotizing soft-tissue infection. Moreover, each attack of cellulitis may worsen lymphatic damage and therefore favour additional attacks. Recurrence is frequent: 10-30% of cases and even up to 50%. In this context, at least 2 episodes of erysipelas in the same limb during a 1-year period defines recurrent erysipelas requiring prophylaxis. Such prophylaxis is based usually on penicillin therapy. Compression was evaluated only in a monocentric randomized controlled trial, and was never compared to antibioprophylaxis. The investigators hypothesized that compression therapy alone might represent a single intervention for prophylaxis of erysipelas recurrence as efficient as long-term antibiotic prophylaxis with compression therapy combined. This study is a multicenter, parallel groups, assessor-blinded, non-inferiority, randomized clinical trial. Main objective is to evaluate whether supervised compression therapy alone is non-inferior to supervised compression therapy + oral penicillin in controlling relapse of recurrent erysipelas. Secondary objectives are to assess time to first recurrence ; to assess the severity of the recurrence ; to assess the safety of the intervention to assess the quality of life during the prophylaxis phase ; to assess the adherence of patients with the intervention and to assess, in a joint analysis, that supervised compression therapy is both not inferior in terms of QALY and not more expensive at 1 year than supervised compression therapy + antibiotic. The study will included male or female adults who have had at least 2 episodes of recurrent erysipelas at the same leg within the previous 52 weeks, and no more than five episodes of erysipelas in the same areas of the lower limbs during the year before randomization. Experimental group is supervised compression therapy + emollient cream during 12 months and control group is supervised compression therapy + emollient cream + oral penicillin (phénoxyméthylpénicilline) during 12 months Main outcome is the proportion of patients with at least one recurrence of erysipelas during the 1-year prophylaxis phase, performed by an assessor-blinded. Patients will be identified in a hospital setting, or referred by physicians servicing the local region, or by direct advertising through patients' associations. If the patient gives consent to participate, at the end of a inclusion visit (V0), the randomization will be performed via the e-CRF. Prescriptions will then be issued on inclusion. Control group who will start antibiotic treatment at inclusion. A run-in period of 7 ±2 days will be planned between V0 and the beginning of the compression therapy for the both group, in order to get the prescribed elastic stockings, and to train the nurse in charge of the compression supervision. A nurse trained in the study will supervise the first applications of the compression in the patient's home. After inclusion visit (V0), a home visit by the liberal IDE will be planned at M1 for to check daily adherence (use of ATB or/and wearing compression and application of emollients). A patient diary must be completed from inclusion and during the follow-up period. Two telemedicine clinic were scheduled at M3 and M9 and two study visits were scheduled at M6 and M12 with a complete physical examination. All the evaluations will be performed by a blinded evaluator investigator. Supplementary telemedicine clinic(s) in case of potential recurrence of erysipelas will be done by the blinded evaluator in the presence of the nurse who will be at bedside of patient. The organization and design of the study will be realistic, and thus is designed to facilitate its feasibility and generalizability of results. In case of demonstration of non-inferiority of supervised compression therapy, patients with recurrent erysipelas will be spared of antibiotics first-line, and therefore suppress the impact of both long-term antibiotics on gut microbiota individuals and health burden of antibiotics at the population level.

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