Generality
Exanthematous diseases are all those infectious diseases, both viral and bacterial in nature, which cause a typical rash accompanied by a series of other symptoms, such as: fever, malaise, lack of appetite, headache, abdominal pain, irritability and muscle pain.
Physical examination and medical history (or medical history) are often sufficient to diagnose exanthematous diseases.
The treatment depends on the type of exanthematous disease in progress: the most common viral exanthematous diseases provide, for the most part, a symptomatic therapy; exanthematous diseases of bacterial origin, on the other hand, provide a therapy based on antibiotics, to fight bacteria that infect the organism.
What are exanthematous diseases?
The exanthematous diseases are those morbid conditions, of infectious origin, usually viral, which cause a typical rash (called exanthema or rash ); this "rash" is accompanied by a series of other manifestations, such as fever, malaise and loss of appetite.
MAIN EXANTEMATIC DISEASES
The exanthematic diseases par excellence are:
- Measles
- Rubella
- Chickenpox
- Scarlet fever
- The fourth illness
- The fifth disease
- The sixth disease
These conditions are very common and known.
LESS KNOWN EXAMINATION DISEASES
Less common and / or known than the previous ones, but still exanthematic diseases are:
- Typhus
- Syphilis
- AIDS or HIV
- The disease "hands feet mouth"
- Smallpox
- Viral hepatitis
- Infectious mononucleosis
- Papular acrodermatitis or Gianotti-Crosti syndrome
- Erythema multiforme
- The papulo-purpurica syndrome "gloves and socks"
- The generalized acute exanthematous pustulosis
- Pityriasis rosea
- Toxic shock syndrome
- Pseudo-burn skin syndrome or staphylococcal skin syndrome
- Kawasaki syndrome
- Mycoplasma pneumonia or atypical pneumonia
- The rickettsiosi
Epidemiology
Exanthematous diseases par excellence are morbid conditions that usually affect individuals of young or very young age .
The particular predisposition of very young subjects to contract the most common exanthematous diseases is linked, essentially, to two factors: the immune system not yet fully developed and efficient, and the high contagiousness of the infectious agents, which increases the risk of infection for those who live in communities such as schools or kindergartens.
ORIGIN OF THE TERM EXANTEME AND DERIVATIVES
The term exanthem derives from the Greek word " exanthema " ( ἐξάνθημα ), which means "burst", but also "vent".
A rash is a vent on the skin, very similar to a volcanic eruption (hence the use of the term "rash" to define a rash).
Causes
The cause of many exanthematous diseases is viral, which is a virus that determines the morbid condition.
However, it is worth remembering that there are exanthematic diseases due to bacteria and exanthematous diseases whose infectious agents are, at the moment, unknown (they could be viruses, bacteria or other).
| Exanthematic diseases and causes | ||
| Viral origin | Disease | Infectious agent |
| chickenpox | Varicella-zoster virus | |
| Measles | morbillivirus | |
| Rubella | Rubella virus | |
| Fifth disease | Parvovirus B19 | |
| Sixth disease | Herpes virus B6 | |
| AIDS | HIV or human immunodeficiency virus | |
| Viral hepatitis | Hepatovirus | |
| Infectious mononucleosis | Epstein Barr virus | |
| Illness hands feet mouth | Coxsackie virus | |
| Bacterial origin | Fourth disease | Type A beta-hemolytic streptococcus (probably) |
| Scarlet fever | Type A beta-hemolytic streptococcus | |
| Toxic shock syndrome | Staphylococcus aureus ( Staphylococcus aureus ) | |
| Pseudo-burned skin syndrome | Staphylococcus aureus ( Staphylococcus aureus ) | |
| Mycoplasma pneumonia | Mycoplasma pneumoniae | |
Symptoms and Complications
The rash that accompanies exanthematous diseases can occur in various ways: with patches of different sizes, with small spots, with skin redness (erythema), with itching, with blisters and / or with papules.
The characteristics of the rash depend on the triggering agent, therefore on the type of exanthematic disease.
To investigate the characteristics of the rash of the most common exanthematous diseases:
- Measles
- Rubella
- Scarlet fever
- chickenpox
ASSOCIATED MANIFESTATIONS
As stated in the definition of exanthematous diseases, the presence of these morbid conditions includes, in addition to the exanthema, also a series of other manifestations or disorders.
The manifestations associated with the rash include:
- Temperature
- malaise
- Headache
- Loss of appetite
- Abdominal pain
- Irritability
- Soreness or real muscle pain
Similarly to the rash, the aforementioned symptoms and signs also depend on the type of exanthematous disease in progress.
MORE AFFECTED OFFICES
The rash that characterizes exanthematous diseases can affect any part of the human body.
However, it is good to point out that there are more affected anatomical areas than others, such as: the face, the trunk (ie chest, belly and back) and the extremities (ie hands and feet).
A USEFUL CLASSIFICATION
Doctors have decided to classify some exanthematous diseases based on where the rash usually begins.
This way of proceeding led to the following scheme:
- Exanthematic diseases whose rash tends to begin with the face :
- Measles
- Rubella
- Fifth disease
- Scarlet fever
- Exanthematic diseases whose rash tends to begin with the trunk :
- chickenpox
- Sixth disease
- Exanthematic diseases whose rash tends to begin at the extremities :
- Papulo-purpurica syndrome "gloves and socks"
- Illness hands feet mouth
The failure to include various exanthematous diseases in this scheme is due to the fact that these tend to begin, without distinction, in the trunk, in the face and / or in the extremities of the limbs.
COMPLICATIONS
Exanthematous diseases can involve various complications, some of which are also particularly serious and with permanent results.
For example, measles can cause otitis media, pneumonia, diarrhea and convulsions more often than not; very rarely, it can give rise to severe and sometimes lethal encephalitis (1 case of measles every 5, 000 is lethal due to encephalitis).
Rubella is an usually not very aggressive infection, which however can represent a serious danger for adults, especially for pregnant women. Like measles, rubella can also induce encephalitis.
Scarlet fever can cause ear infections, throat abscesses, sinusitis, pneumonia, meningitis, bone or joint problems, liver damage, kidney damage and rheumatic fever with associated heart problems (NB: complications from bone problems onwards they are very rare).
To investigate the issue of complications related to exanthematous diseases, readers can consult the articles present here (fourth illness), here (fifth illness) and here (sixth illness).
Diagnosis
In general, to diagnose exanthematous diseases, doctors only use physical examination and medical history (or clinical history), as observation and evaluation of the symptom picture are often rich in fundamental information.
Examination of saliva (using a swab) and blood tests takes place only in case of doubt.
Treatment
For the most common viral exanthematous diseases, treatment is generally symptomatic .
The doctors define the treatments aimed at improving the symptomatic situation symptomatic, therefore the therapies that aim to alleviate the manifestations of the disease in progress.
Returning therefore to the most common exanthematous viral diseases, the symptomatic remedies for this type of conditions consist in: rest, intake of paracetamol (to lower fever), application of emollients to the skin (to soothe some symptoms of the rash) and antihistamines ( to cope with intense itching).
For exanthematous bacterial diseases, such as scarlet fever, the situation is slightly different and the treatment is causal, ie aimed at treating the causes.
In these situations, therefore, the therapy consists of antibiotic drugs, whose purpose is to eliminate the bacterial colonies infesting the organism.
To know more:
- Measles treatment medications
- Medicines for the treatment of rubella
- Varicella medications
- Scarlet fever medications
- Drugs for the treatment of the sixth disease
SPECIAL CASES
Severe exanthematic diseases and / or frequent unpleasant consequences, such as AIDS or typhoid, require targeted treatments and the observance of important precautions, to avoid the contagion of other people.
For the most serious viral exanthematous diseases, the therapy involves the administration of antiviral drugs .
Prevention
Today, various exanthematous diseases are preventable through specific vaccines .
Among the exanthematic diseases par excellence, those for which an effective vaccination exists are: measles, rubella and chickenpox.
Prognosis
The prognosis of exanthematous diseases varies according to the severity of the ongoing exanthematous disease.
Exanthematous diseases par excellence generally have a positive prognosis. Nevertheless, doctors recommend, whenever possible, to provide for appropriate vaccinations anyway.
Exanthematic diseases, such as AIDS or smallpox, have, notoriously, a fatal outcome.
