A rash on the body of a child is a very common phenomenon that provokes a variety of parental reactions. Some mothers (usually young and inexperienced) panic and begin to call a doctor at the same time, consult with more experienced friends and look for information on the Internet, others clutch at the green and carefully sketch the child, while others do not see anything wrong with the appearance of the rash - say, Itself will pass over time. But before you think about how to treat a rash on the body and whether it is worth it, you need to understand what caused its occurrence.
Most often, a rash on the body of a child is an allergic reaction that occurs in response to the exposure of an organism to a substance (certain foods, drugs, household chemicals, dust, etc.) Contrary to popular belief, an allergic rash occurs not only then. when the child "ate something wrong." Skin can react by the appearance of a rash to any contact (washing powder) or respiratory (dust, wool) allergen. Sometimes rashes are accompanied by lacrimation, runny nose and cough (one of the listed symptoms or several at once). An allergic rash can occur in some particular area or spread through the body, often accompanied by painful itching. As a rule, parents know that their child is prone to such rashes and is able to understand whether the nature of this rash is allergic.
A rash on a child’s body can be a manifestation of many infectious diseases. In this case, it is most often accompanied by fever, deterioration and lethargy. The most common infections that are accompanied by rashes on the body are:
- chicken pox (or simply chickenpox), in which the rashes first look like small reddish spots, but quickly turn into fluid-filled pimples, similar to dew drops in a pink-red halo. The first spots appear under the hair (and therefore often go unnoticed), then spread to the face and body. A characteristic sign of chickenpox is a very severe itching;
- measles, in which rashes occur 3-6 days after the onset of malaise, which occurs with an increase in temperature, cough and runny nose. A measles rash begins to appear behind the ears, then spreads to the face and hands and spreads over the whole body in 2-3 days. The spots of the rash are red-pink in color and sometimes even merge with each other;
- rubella, in which the rash is a bit like measles, but spreads throughout the body much faster - per day. Most rubella in children proceeds quite easily and is accompanied by a slight rise in temperature, a slight runny nose and sore throat (and even then not always);
- scarlet fever, which is quite difficult - with severe intoxication, fever, severe sore throat. The rash, which is red spots protruding above the skin, appears closer to the end of the first day of the disease and quickly covers the entire body. A characteristic symptom of a scarlet fever rash is that it covers the entire face, with the exception of the nasolabial triangle;
- streptoderma (or streptococcal skin lesion), in which pink spots appear on the skin, which gradually turn into vesicles and burst, leaving a pinkish-yellow crust.
In addition to the listed diseases, a rash on the child’s body can be caused by a number of other diseases, the most dangerous of which is meningococcemia, which is a fulminant form of meningococcal infection. This disease is accompanied by fever, severe headache, often nausea and vomiting, confusion. The rash looks like spots of different sizes and sizes, which quickly spread throughout the body and can take the form of hemorrhages. At the slightest suspicion that the rash on the child’s body may be a symptom of meningococcemia, it is urgent to seek medical help (because in this case the bill goes for hours, and sometimes for minutes).
If a child has a rash on his body, you do not need to lubricate it with green leaf or various healing and drying ointments, at least before the doctor looks at her, because otherwise it will be very difficult to make a diagnosis. The treatment of the rash depends on the cause of its occurrence - in one case it will be anti-allergic drugs, in the other it will be a drying agent, in the third it will be an antibacterial ointment, and in the fourth it will go away on its own along with the disease that caused it.