What should you pay attention to if you have scarlet fever?

Penicillin is the first choice for scarlet fever, but other antibiotics can be appropriately replaced for patients who are allergic to penicillin. Not only should we pay attention to eating a light diet, but we should also pay attention to nutritional intake. You should pay attention to rest and also do appropriate exercise. This is the only way to strengthen your physical fitness and avoid having your physical condition become too poor and taking a long time to recover. The skin is often the easiest to forget, and many rashes and even breakages may appear on the skin.

Scarlet fever is an acute respiratory infectious disease. It is characterized by fever, pharyngitis, diffuse scarlet fever-like rash and desquamation. In a few cases at the later stage, cardiac and renal complications may occur.

You should see a pediatrician as soon as possible and cooperate with the doctor for antibiotic treatment and follow-up. You should exercise more, eat a balanced diet, and maintain personal and home hygiene to stay away from infectious diseases.

1) Rest in bed; bed rest can reduce physical consumption and the burden on the heart, kidneys, and joints, and reduce complications.

2) Diet: When you have a sore throat, you should eat some porridge and food with less oil, such as porridge, noodle soup, egg soup, milk, chopped vegetables, etc. Drinking more water helps eliminate bacterial toxins.

3) Oral hygiene: Since bacteria are mostly concentrated in the pharynx, oral hygiene is very important. For older children, gargle with warm salt water after each meal or when waking up from sleep. For young children, you can use tweezers to hold gauze or cotton wool dipped in warm salt water to wipe the mouth.

4) Skin care: When a rash occurs, the child’s skin will become itchy, which will not only affect the child’s rest, but also cause skin infection if scratched. The child's nails should be trimmed short and the skin should be scrubbed with warm water to help relieve itching. Be careful not to use soap when you have a rash. Do not rub or peel hard when peeling to avoid skin damage and infection.

5) Observe the condition; watch for signs of complications. During the rash period, pay attention to whether the child has symptoms such as palpitations, shortness of breath, rapid pulse, or even difficulty breathing, so as to detect complications such as myocarditis in time.

About one week after the onset of the disease, if the child has persistent fever, swollen and painful lymph nodes in the neck or submandibular area, he may develop suppurative lymphadenitis; the ear may also develop suppurative otitis media.

About 2 weeks after onset, pay attention to whether the child has joint swelling and pain. This is a sign of arthritis, and if not treated early, it may also lead to rheumatic heart disease.

About 3 weeks after onset of the disease, pay attention to whether the child has tea-colored urine, edema, or back pain, as these are signs of nephritis. If you find any of the above signs of suspected complications, you should go to the hospital immediately for diagnosis and treatment to prevent the disease from developing further.

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