Skin Rash

From WebHealth

[edit] Skin Rash

Similar to skin moles (of which there are hundreds of different histological types) skin rashes are difficult to diagnose for the layperson, but are often easy to recognize for the general practitioner or even more so for the dermatologist. The more rashes a physician has diagnosed, the more accurate he/she becomes and the easier it is to diagnose.

There are excema, contact dermatitis, tinea infection, dermatitis herpetiformis, impetigo, childhood skin rashes associated with infectious disease to name but a few. As some skin rashes are harmless and others are the first sign of a serious impending illness such as meningitis or typhoid fever, it is important to seek the advice of a physician right away to know what the skin rash means.

Some skin rashes and their causes
Medical diagnosis:	Comments:
Bacterial skin rash	meningitis, typhoid fever, Lyme disease, and a few others
Childhood skin rashes	measles, rubella, chickenpox, fifth disease and others
contact dermatitis	from contact with chemicals, poison ivy, hand soap (hand excema)
Dermatomyositis	a form of rheumatological disease
excema	dry, itchy skin (many forms of it)
Fungal infections	caused by various fungi
Lupus	SLE is a rheumatological disease
mononucleosis	Epstein Barr virus produces rash, associated with sluggishness, tonsillitis and lymph gland swelling
Syphilis (secondary)	typical skin rash in the second stage
urticarial rash	allergic skin rash (often food allergy) with release of histamine into the skin

This way the proper steps can be undertaken to prevent disastrous outcomes. Often a condition can be contained, if recognized early and treated right away with the apropriate treatment.

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Common skin conditions

Skin infections

Tinea infections

[edit] Common Childhood Rashes

During childhood it is common to develop skin rashes from time to time, particularly in association with viral illnesses (=viral exanthema). The appearance of the rash can tell the physician what the underlying diagnosis is, particularly when this is taken together with the history and other clinical clues and tests. Here is a site with pictures of common infectious childhood skin rashes (use the back arrow in your left upper screen to return to this page).

This table with common childhood skin rashes explains some of the important features associated with some of these rashes.

Common childhood skin rashes
Disease:	Comments:
Measles	high fever, viral skin rash, cough, Koplik spots inside the cheek are typical
Rubella	mild rash, contagious and devastating for pregnant women
chickenpox (=varicella)	same virus as shingles; pustule, then ulcer; can cause encephalitits; vaccine available
5th disease (=erythema subitum)	high fever, which goes away when rash with pinsize lesions appears
diphtheria	serious tonsillitis with rash and delayed heart valve problems

However, the physician must always include other skin infections that may look similar into the differential diagnosis: they may look similar, but have a different cause. This topic can be so confusing that the family physician sometimes has to refer a patient to a pediatrician or dermatologist for a definite diagnosis of a skin rash to find out whether it is infectious or part of a skin condition. As already mentioned in other chapters of the Webhealth web site, skin biopsies have to be taken at times to get a definite diagnosis in more difficult cases. For further info on childhood rashes follow this link.

Home page

Common skin conditions

Skin infections

Tinea infections

References:

1. Habif: Clinical Dermatology, 3rd ed.,1996, Mosby-Year Book, Inc.

2. The Merck Manual, 7^th edition, by M. H. Beers et al., Whitehouse Station, N.J., 1999. Chapter 117.

3. Cotran: Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease, 6th ed.,1999, W. B. Saunders Company

4. Noble: Textbook of Primary Care Medicine, 3rd ed., 2001, Mosby, Inc.

5. Rakel: Conn's Current Therapy 2001, 53rd ed., 2001, W. B. Saunders Company

6. Goroll: Primary Care Medicine, 4th ed., 2000, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

7. Richard J. Lewis, M.D. at the 42nd Annual St. Paul's Hosp. CME Conf., Nov.1996, Vancouver/BC