Monday, August 23, 2010

My symptoms are an itchy rash or itchy skin around the throat and chest and arms, and a sore throat...?

What do I have?|||Scarlet fever.


Scarlet fever is caused by an infection with group A streptococcus bacteria. The bacteria make a toxin (poison) that can cause the scarlet-colored rash from which this illness gets its name.





Not all streptococci bacteria make this toxin and not all kids are sensitive to it. Two kids in the same family may both have strep infections, but one child (who is sensitive to the toxin) may develop the rash of scarlet fever while the other may not.


Symptoms of Scarlet Fever


The rash is the most striking sign of scarlet fever. It usually begins looking like a bad sunburn with tiny bumps and it may itch. The rash usually appears first on the neck and face, often leaving a clear unaffected area around the mouth. It spreads to the chest and back, then to the rest of the body. In body creases, especially around the underarms and elbows, the rash forms classic red streaks. Areas of rash usually turn white when you press on them. By the sixth day of the infection the rash usually fades, but the affected skin may begin to peel.





Aside from the rash, there are usually other symptoms that help to confirm a diagnosis of scarlet fever, including a reddened sore throat, a fever above 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38.3 degrees Celsius), and swollen glands in the neck. The tonsils and back of the throat may be covered with a whitish coating, or appear red, swollen, and dotted with whitish or yellowish specks of pus. Early in the infection, the tongue may have a whitish or yellowish coating.


When scarlet fever occurs because of a throat infection, the fever typically stops within 3 to 5 days, and the sore throat passes soon afterward. The scarlet fever rash usually fades on the sixth day after sore throat symptoms began, but skin that was covered by rash may begin to peel. This peeling may last 10 days. With antibiotic treatment, the infection itself is usually cured with a 10-day course of antibiotics, but it may take a few weeks for tonsils and swollen glands to return to normal.





Treating Scarlet Fever


If your child has a rash and the doctor suspects scarlet fever, he or she will usually take a throat culture (a painless swab of throat secretions) to see if the bacteria grow in the laboratory. Once a strep infection is confirmed, the doctor will likely prescribe an antibiotic for your child to be taken for about 10 days.





You need to go to doctor for throat culture.|||call the doctor!!!|||That sounds very much like scarlet fever (which is essentially strep throat accompanied by an itchy rash). You should see a doctor.|||go to web MD or go to the dr, why ask people on here??|||scarlet fever! rosacea! go to the doc before you die!|||Look it up in a medical book or call the docter!|||Sounds like Flu to me,Take some Nurofen|||depends, i'd put my stakes on either strep throat or an allergic reaction|||If you have taken any medication lately or been exposed to something organic, or even eaten something like shellfish, you may be experiencing an allergic reaction. See your doctor!

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