Friday, October 5, 2007

Paint by Numbers


Concerned parents bring in their toddler who has the presentation seen above. This rash extends to the bridge of the nose and a bit around the mouth, but is mostly on the cheeks. When you examine the baby, you find a red rash on the arms and legs. The rash has been there a week, and it gets worse with sun exposure. The child may have had a fever around that time. There have been no new environmental exposures, foods, or pets. You rule out child abuse.

Challenge: What is the disease? What is the cause?

Image shown under GNU Free Documentation License.

3 comments:

Alex said...

it's not lupus

Craig said...

haha...that should have been the title of this case :P

Craig said...

Paint by Numbers

This child has Fifth Disease, also called Erythema Infectiosum and Slapped Cheek Syndrome. The cause of this disease is parvovirus B19. Once the rash has appeared, the child is no longer infectious. The rash can last a couple of weeks. The disease is mild except in pregnant women and hemolytic anemia patients. It is most common in children age 5 to 14.

Source: Wikipedia.