Dr. Mersch received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, San Diego, and prior to entering the University Of Southern California School Of Medicine, was a graduate student (attaining PhD candidate status) in Experimental Pathology at USC. He attended internship and residency at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
What is most remarkable characteristic of roseola?
What is most striking is that the child seems so well
despite having a high fever.
What is the course of roseola?
The fever of roseola lasts three to five days followed by a rash lasting about
one to two days. Roseola usually resolves without any treatment. Immunity to HHV-6 seems to be lifelong.
Are there any complications of roseola?
Complications are rare with roseola except in
children with suppressed immune systems. Individuals with healthy immune systems generally develop lifelong immunity to HHV-6 (or HHV-7).
Should I take my child to the doctor with roseola?
Yes, that is a good idea. A child with a fever and a rash
should not go back to child care until evaluated by a
health-care provider.
When can the child return to child care?
A child with just the rash of roseola and no fever can usually
return to child care.
Are there other names for roseola?
Roseola is referred to by a number of other names. It was formally
called roseola infantum or
roseola infantilis. Because the rash
appears so suddenly (right after the fever dramatically departs), the
disease is commonly called exanthem subitum.
To distinguish roseola from other childhood diseases featuring
skin rashes, it was once
dubbed "sixth disease" (because it was the sixth disease young
children typically developed, and it lasted about six days), but that name
has largely been forgotten.
Roseola is a mild illness caused by a virus infection, and it affects young
children.
A sudden high fever that lasts for three to five days is an early
feature of roseola.
When the fever disappears, a rash appears. The rash is not contagious.
Roseola usually resolves without any treatment.
REFERENCE:
American Academy of Pediatrics. Pickering, L.K., C.J. Baker, D.W. Kimberlin,
and S.S. Long, eds. Red Book: 2009 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases. 28th
ed. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics, 2009.
The word "rash" means an outbreak of red bumps on the body. The way people use this term, "a rash" can refer to many different skin conditions. The most common of these are scaly patches of skin and red, itchy bumps or patches all over the place.
Diarrhea is a change is the frequency and looseness of bowel movements. Cramping, abdominal pain, and the sensation of rectal urgency are all symptoms of diarrhea. Absorbents and anti-motility medications are used to treat diarrhea.
Lymph nodes help the body's immune system fight infections. Causes of swollen lymph nodes (glands) may include infection (viral, bacterial, fungal, parasites). Symptoms of swollen lymph nodes vary greatly. They can sometimes be tender, painful or disfiguring. The treatment of swollen lymph nodes depends upon the cause.
Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degrees F. (37 degrees C.), in practice a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C.). Fever is part of the body's own disease-fighting arsenal: rising body temperatures apparently are capable of killing off many disease- producing organisms.
Febrile seizures, or convulsions caused by fever in small children or infants can be frightening, however, in general are harmless. Febrile seizures is not epilepsy. It is estimated that one in every 25 children will have at least one febrile seizure. It is important to know what to do to help your child if he/she has a febrile seizure.
Children's health is focused on the well-being of children from conception through adolescence. There are many aspects of children's health, including growth and development, illnesses, injuries, behavior, mental illness, family health and community health.
Teenagers recognize that they are developmentally between child and adult. Teen health prevention includes maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, preventing injuries and screening annually for potential health conditions that could adversely affect teenage health.
Kids Health RSS
Healthy Living Tips
