Today we consider a disease such as exanthema. What it is? What are its causes and symptoms? What are the treatment options? We will analyze these and other questions in detail in the article.
Exanthema is a skin rash that appears with various viral ailments. Most often, viral exanthema develops in children. In adolescence or adulthood, pathology is quite rare. Such childhood infectious diseases as rubella, chickenpox, measles and others are almost always accompanied by the appearance of a rash.
Causes
The etiology of this pathology is very diverse. It is considered that one or two pathogenetic mechanisms affect the formation of a rash:
Exanthema (the photo below gives an idea about it) appears as a result of damage to the skin tissue by viruses that spread with blood flow. Thus, the herpes type 1 virus, enteroviruses, etc. develop.
A rash is formed due to a reaction between the body's immune cells and the causative agent. By this principle, a rash occurs with rubella.
Rashes, consisting of spots and papules, occur with:
rubella;
measles
herpes of the 6th type, which provokes the development of roseola;
Epstein-Bar virus;
cytomegalovirus causing the development of cytomegaly;
enterovirus.
Bubble rashes appear when:
The viruses that provoke a papulo-visualic rash and redness of the skin include:
Parovirus B19 manifests itself as a common erythema, outwardly resembling lace.
Clinical picture
The type of infection that triggered the formation of rashes affects the way the viral exanthema manifests itself.
Measles
The cause of measles is infectious agents belonging to the paramyxovirus family. Erythema in this case occurs on the 4th-5th day of the disease. Before the appearance of skin rashes, the patient develops a dry cough, the body temperature rises, and fever is observed.
The occurrence of exanthema is preceded by the formation of gray-white spots on the mucous membranes of the cheeks. Initially, rashes appear on the face and neck. Viral exanthema has the appearance of papules, which often merge with each other. Gradually, rashes cover the whole body. When the rash spreads to the hands and feet, the rashes on the neck and face begin to disappear. With measles, exanthema does not appear on the soles and palms.
Rubella
Rubella is caused by viruses belonging to the togavirus RNA group. With this disease, papular exanthema develops , spreading according to the same pattern as measles. The main difference is that the elements of rashes with such a pathology never merge.
The general condition of the patient may not be disturbed, however, in some patients, an increase in temperature and moderate fever are noted.
Enteroviruses
Entneroviruses are part of the RNA virus group. The diseases that they cause have a wide symptomatic spectrum. For example, with a many-sided enterovirus infection , digestive disorders, respiratory symptoms, and fever develop.
In some cases, with the disease, only enteroviral exanthema occurs. Other symptoms may be absent. Enteroviral exanthema also has wide variation. It can manifest itself with papules, vesicles, pustules or vesicles with hemorrhagic contents.
Infectious mononucleosis
The Epstein-Barr virus, which is part of the herpetic virus group, causes this ailment. Infectious exanthema in this case also manifests itself as with measles, the only difference is severe itching.
Roseola
This disease develops as a result of infection with herpes of the 6th and 7th types. The first symptoms of the disease are a sudden increase in temperature, the appearance of fever, loss of appetite, and indigestion. Catarrhal symptoms such as cough and runny nose are most often absent.
The temperature drops on the 4th day and a rash appears. Exanthema in this case has the form of a small-pointed pink rash. First, rashes appear on the stomach and back, then the rash covers the entire body. Itching is absent, merging of elements is not observed.
Herpes simplex virus diseases
As a rule, the initial infection of the herpes simplex virus occurs in early childhood. The symptom of infection is stomatitis, and with relapse of the disease, vesicle exanthema appears on the nose or lips (infection with type 1 virus). Infection with herpes simplex virus type 2 occurs most often through sexual contact at a young age. Symptoms of the disease are exanthema on the skin of the genitals and buttocks.
Shingles and chickenpox
Such childhood infectious diseases are caused by a virus belonging to the herpetic group. After the virus enters the body, a typical infection develops (chickenpox). After recovery, the virus does not leave the body and is in a latent state. A decrease in immunity can trigger a relapse of the infection and cause shingles.
The symptom of exanthema in this case is a vesicle rash that spreads throughout the body with chickenpox and is located along the nerves with shingles. When combing a rash, secondary infection is often observed, as a result of which the rashes become purulent.
B19 Parovirus Disease
In only 20% of patients, infection with B19 parovirus leads to the formation of characteristic exanthema. First, the skin of the cheeks becomes reddened, then a rash forms, which looks like lace or a garland. As a rule, rashes are localized on the skin of the limbs, less often on the body. In some cases, severe itching may appear.
When infected with parovirus B19, the exanthema has a wave-like course - it can disappear for a while and appear again. The rash is often accompanied by flu-like symptoms and joint pain.
If an exanthema is found, a photo of skin rashes characteristic of a particular disease, the doctor will show you.
Diagnostics
Diagnosis of viral diseases, which are characterized by the appearance of exanthema, includes a thorough study of clinical manifestations and analysis.
It is also necessary to consider the following characteristics of rashes:
shape and appearance;
sharp edges;
size and tendency to merge;
quantity;
changes in the skin (reddened, cyanotic, unchanged);
the nature of the appearance of the rash (simultaneous, gradual, undulating).
Viral exanthema in a child is manifested as follows:
the rash appears on the 2nd day of the disease or later;
rashes are preceded by increased body temperature, its decrease is observed with the first elements of the rash;
catarrhal symptoms are often absent;
most often, viral exanthema is manifested by vesicular and maculopapular rashes.
The doctor prescribes a blood test by ELISA, which makes it possible to detect antibodies to the antigen of an infectious agent in the blood.
Treatment
With a phenomenon such as exanthema, treatment is symptomatic. Therapeutic measures depend on the diagnosis.
With rubella and measles, symptomatic treatment and bed rest are required. It is extremely important to prevent the attachment of secondary infections, as a result of which complications such as otitis media, encephalitis, pneumonia can develop.
Symptomatic treatment for chickenpox is to prevent suppuration, for this purpose aniline dyes are used to lubricate the elements of the rash.
With shingles, the drug Acyclovir is administered, the treatment regimen is selected by the doctor individually and depends on the general condition and age of the child.
For the treatment of ailments that develop when infected with the herpes virus, drugs such as Valacyclovir, Acyclovir, and Pharmciclovir are used.
When infected with paraviruses and enteroviruses, specific therapy is absent. Therefore, treatment consists in removing the symptoms of the disease and alleviating the patient's condition.
ethnoscience
Exanthema - what is it and what traditional methods of treatment are used, we found out. No less effective in the fight against this phenomenon and recipes of alternative medicine.
Baths with the addition of a decoction of bran, starch will help eliminate itching during rashes. Water temperature should not be higher than 37-38 º. Baths with infusions of medicinal herbs such as celandine, calendula, chamomile, and a series are also effective. To prepare the infusion, you can use a mixture of these plants. A liter of boiling water brew 100 g of grass (or a mixture of herbs). Leave to infuse, after the infusion, strain and pour into the bath.
For internal use, it is recommended to prepare fortified teas from blueberries, rose hips, raspberries, currants. You can also add raspberry and currant leaves to the drink.
Sudden exanthema - what is it?
This is a viral disease characterized by a sudden onset and short duration. Most often, sudden exanthema develops in children from six months to 2 years. In rare cases, infection occurs in older children, adolescents and adults.
Sudden exanthema develops when infected with herpes virus 6 (HHV-6), in rare cases - herpes virus 7 (HHV-7). From person to person, exanthema is transmitted by contact and by airborne droplets. The incubation period of the disease lasts 7-8 days.
Symptoms
Signs of infection depend on the age of the patient. The disease is manifested by fever, irritability, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, runny nose, swelling of the eyelids, diarrhea. The rash occurs 12-24 hours after the temperature rises. Rashes on the neck, abdomen, back, and limbs are localized. The skin becomes a reddish hue and when pressed temporarily turns pale. The rash does not cause any inconvenience: it does not hurt or itch. These rashes are not contagious, disappear after 3-4 days and do not return. In older children, symptoms such as high fever for several days, runny nose, diarrhea develop. At an older age, the rash appears less frequently.
Therapeutic measures
Despite the fact that sudden exanthema is quite common, the correct diagnosis is made in rare cases. The reason for this is the transience of the disease.
During a physical examination, first of all, the elements of the rash are examined. Sudden exanthema is characterized by small pink spots that disappear with dioscopy and papules 1-5 mm in size. Also, the elements of the rash rise slightly above the surface of the skin.
A blood test reveals relative lymphocytosis, leukopenia, granulocytopenia, eosinopenia. To determine the virus, the PCR method is used. To identify the active virus in the blood, use the culture method.
With the development of complications of sudden exanthema, consultations with a pediatric cardiologist, pediatric gastroenterologist, and pediatric neurologist are required. In addition, such additional studies as ultrasound of the abdominal cavity, ECG, EEG and others can be prescribed.
If the child’s temperature does not provide any comfort, then treatment is not necessary. Comfortable conditions should be created in the room where the patient is located. Do not wear a lot of things on the baby. Excess clothing can cause fever.
In some cases, sudden exanthema against a background of fever is accompanied by convulsions. Among children aged 1.5-3 years, febrile seizures are quite common (5-35% of children with a sudden exanthema experience this phenomenon). Most often, cramps are not dangerous, although they look quite frightening.
What should parents do when a child cramps?
Try to be calm and calm the child.
Take away all sharp objects and put the baby on its side so that saliva can flow out of the mouth.
Place a pillow under the baby’s head.
Wait for the cramps to go away.
Very often, children after seizures are sleepy and sleep, this is normal. After the attack, the doctor must examine the child.
Complications
After a sudden exanthema, in very rare cases, any complications develop, with the exception of those children whose immune system is weakened. With a healthy immune system, lifelong immunity to HHV-7 and HHV-6 develops. However, you should still consult a doctor with sudden exanthema. A child with a fever and a rash must be protected from contact with other children before being examined by a doctor.
Prevention and prognosis
Preventive measures are to protect against infection with various viruses. In order to prevent infection with rubella or measles, it is necessary to vaccinate. Antiviral agents are used to prevent the development of exanthema with herpetic infection. However, the virus itself in the body remains for life, therefore, with a decrease in immunity, it can become activated and provoke a relapse of the disease.
Conclusion
From this article, you learned about a phenomenon such as exanthema - what it is, the causes of its occurrence, symptoms, treatment methods. We hope you find this information useful. Be healthy!