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Insufficient evidence to make a recommendation.

Strongly favor this test or intervention.

The ALT-70 score for cellulitis is a tool designed to assess the likelihood of cellulitis in patients by considering four key clinical factors. Each factor is rated with a specific point value, and the total score informs the probability of cellulitis.

You input four true or false answers related to these clinical factors:
- Presence of asymmetric skin abnormalities
- Age of 70 years or older
- White blood cell count of 10,000/mcL or more
- Heart rate of 90 beats per minute or more

The scoring for these factors is as follows:
- Asymmetric skin abnormalities contribute 3 points
- Age of 70 years or older adds 2 points
- White blood cell count of 10,000/mcL or more adds 1 point
- Heart rate of 90 beats per minute or more also adds 1 point

To compute the ALT-70 score, you sum the points of all true responses, resulting in a total score ranging from 0 to 7.

Interpreting the score:
- A score of 0 to 2 suggests a low probability of cellulitis. It’s advisable to explore other diagnoses.
- A score between 3 and 4 indicates an intermediate probability and suggests consulting a specialist for further evaluation.
- A score from 5 to 7 implies a high probability of cellulitis, for which initiating treatment may be recommended.

The ALT-70 is a clinical prediction rule for cellulitis. It is used to differentiate cellulitis from pseudocellulitis in adult patients presenting with lower extremity redness. The acronym ALT-70 stands for Age (over 70), Lesion characteristics (asymmetry, well-demarcated border), Temperature (37.9°C or higher), and White blood cell count (more than 10,000 cells/mm³). Each of these four factors is assigned a score, and the total score is used to predict the likelihood of true cellulitis. This calculator is particularly useful in emergency departments and outpatient settings to guide treatment decisions and avoid unnecessary antibiotic use. It should not be used in patients with known skin infections other than cellulitis, or in patients with skin changes due to chronic conditions like venous insufficiency or lymphedema.

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