​What causes rashes in children?

Skin problems are always similar and it is difficult to judge by yourself, such as rashes in children. It is difficult for parents to determine the cause of the rash in their children, and they don’t know what methods should be used to deal with the rash in children. Below, the editor will introduce several situations of rashes in children to let parents know what is going on.

1. Measles

Measles is commonly known as "beating bran". It is a respiratory infectious disease caused by the measles virus. Transmitted through droplets of nasopharyngeal secretions.

After a healthy child comes into contact with a measles patient, it takes about 10 days to half a month for the child to develop the disease. This period of time is called the incubation period.

The disease begins with symptoms similar to a cold, such as fever, cough, runny nose, and tears. On the second or third day of fever, many small white dots (as big as a needle tip) are seen on the red and congested mucosal mucosa of the child's mouth, which are called measles mucosal spots. This is the earliest and most reliable basis for diagnosing measles. This period of time (from the onset of fever to the appearance of rash) is called the prodromal period, which lasts about 3 or 4 days.

After the prodromal period (i.e. 3 or 4 days from the onset of fever), the rash period begins. During the rash period, the body temperature is higher, the eyes are sensitive to light and tearful, there is a lot of eye secretion, the runny nose and cough become more severe, and a rash begins to appear at the same time. The rash is rose-colored macules that fade with finger pressure. It first appears on the skin in front and behind the ears, neck, cheeks, and forehead. The rash then gradually increases in number and spreads to the chest, back, abdomen, and finally the limbs. After about 3 or 4 days, the rash also appears on the palms and soles of the feet, indicating that the rash has completely broken out. The rash may gradually merge from scattered spots into flakes, but healthy skin can still be seen between the rashes.

The rash begins to subside on the 5th day after onset and completely disappears on the 7th day, leaving behind fine scaling (like bran) and brown marks (i.e. pigmentation). Later, the fever subsided, the cough eased, and the appetite increased. The total white blood cell count was low.

The entire course of measles lasts about 10 days. If the rash occurs together with pneumonia or laryngitis, the course of the disease will be longer and the condition will be more serious.

2. rubella

Rubella is one of the common respiratory infectious diseases in children. It is caused by the rubella virus. It is more common in preschool children aged 3 to 7 years old and is prevalent in spring and autumn.

Rubella begins with a moderate fever and a rash about 1 day after it appears. The rash is small pink maculopapules scattered on the trunk and less on the limbs. The child's general condition was good. Apart from fever, he had a runny nose and a slight cough, but no systemic symptoms of poisoning. The rash subsided after 2 or 3 days, with no desquamation or pigmentation. The lymph nodes behind the ears and on the occipital region are slightly enlarged, complications rarely occur, and the total white blood cell count is low.

3. Roseola infantum

Also known as infantile roseola, commonly known as "roseola infantum", is also a respiratory disease caused by a virus. It usually occurs in spring and autumn, and is often sporadic in children around one year old.

The disease has an acute onset, with high or moderate fever in the prodromal phase. The symptoms may last for about 3 or 4 days, with runny nose, mild cough or diarrhea, but the child's general mental state is still good. Some children have a bulging anterior fontanelle and become irritable when they have a fever.

The body temperature will drop after 3 or 4 days of fever, and scattered "measles" or "scarlet fever"-like rashes will appear on the chest and abdominal skin. This kind of rash after the fever subsides is the characteristic of this disease, accompanied by swollen lymph nodes behind the ears and low white blood cell test results.

4. Scarlet fever

Commonly known as "shazi", it is an acute infectious disease caused by beta-hemolytic streptococcus. It usually occurs sporadically or in a small epidemic in winter and spring.

Children aged 3 years and above to school age are susceptible to this disease. It is transmitted by carriers or sick children through respiratory droplets. The incubation period is about 2 to 7 days. Sudden onset of disease, with high fever reaching over 39°C. The patient complained of pain in the throat and larynx, redness and swelling of the tongue papillae, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms. On the second day, a chronic, scarlet, tiny rash appeared on the skin all over the body, which faded when pressed and was slightly itchy. No healthy skin can be seen between the rashes. It is most obvious on the chest and back.

If not treated promptly, the rash will disappear after 3 to 7 days and will peel off in large flakes. The total white blood cell count was high.

This disease must be treated with large amounts of intramuscular penicillin at an early stage. The injections need to be given for more than 1 week. If this disease is not treated thoroughly, it may develop into acute nephritis or rheumatism after 2-3 weeks.

5. chicken pox

It is a respiratory infectious disease caused by a virus. It is highly contagious, but rarely occurs more than twice in a person's lifetime. This disease often occurs in winter and spring, and is more common in infants and young children. The incubation period is about two weeks. The disease begins with a mild cough and fever (mild or moderate), and 24 hours later a rash appears on the head and trunk. The order of appearance of the rash is papules → herpes → scabs. Acne appears in batches, so different forms of acne can be seen on the same area of ​​skin.

The appearance of rashes may be more or less severe. Mild cases are often ignored by parents, while severe cases may cause high fever, varicella encephalitis, convulsions or coma. Check the total white blood cell count is low.

Knowing the possible diseases that children's rashes may cause, we should not take it lightly and never treat children's rashes as simple prickly heat. Once the potential disease is delayed, it will be very detrimental to the child's health. It is recommended to pay more attention to the child's condition. Once children have rashes or other conditions, it is better to ask a doctor or professional for diagnosis in time.