Paper Example: Roseola Infantum

Roseola Infantum is a febrile illness that is common in children of 6 months to 3 years old. It is caused by human herpesvirus-6B and, in some occurs caused by human herpesvirus-7 (Bryant & Lester, 2014). It is mainly characterized by fever within 3 to 5 days that is seen after incubation of 9 to 10 days, then followed by an onset of a morbilliform rash. The spread is via droplets of an infected individual. After the fever what follows is a maculopapular rash that is pink-red and when touched it turns white and is discrete 3 to 5 mm which begins at the neck and trunk, then spreads to limbs and face (Watkins, 2013). Other symptoms are cold, cough, sore throat, and gastrointestinal symptoms. The disorder has been associated with febrile seizures and is a benign self-limited illness. A high fever of higher than 103F or 39.5C is experienced for about one week (Watkins, 2013).

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Diagnosis is made through a doctor's evaluation. A doctor examines the patient's medical history to identify any signs that the child has experienced earlier and assess if there is any connection with Roseola Infantum. The evaluation is based on symptoms where the doctor examines the possibilities of herpesvirus-6B in the patient (Ko et al., 2016). The other way of diagnosis is through laboratory evaluation tests, which are made on the patient's blood to identify any traces of the virus that causes the infection as by the time rash appears in most of the patients, viremia has resolved (Mullins & Krishnamurthy, 2017). The third way of diagnosis is through virologic studies, which is mostly done in immunocompromised patients and others with atypical complications or presentation.

The best way of diagnosis is through laboratory evaluation as the disorder will be identified before it becomes severe or even before it shows signs. The fever will then be easily reduced through treatment. Laboratory evaluation diagnosis is made early when the disorder is still in its early stages, and it can be treated easily as fever and heat will be lower and easy to reduce.

The treatment of Roseola Infantum is mainly focused on lowering the high fever. It can be treated using Ibuprofen, such as Motrin and Advil. Also, Acetaminophen, such as Tylenol, can be used to ease the fever (Stone et al., 2014). A child suffering from the disorder should be given clear fluids, which include water with Pedialyte and ice chips, and breast milk, which assist in preventing dehydration. The treatment is aimed to relieve symptoms. In a difficult situation, the patients can be treated with antiviral drugs ganciclovir.

References

Bryant, P. A., & Lester, C. M. (2014). Acute childhood exanthems. Medicine, 42(1), 52-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mpmed.2013.10.002

Ko, H. R., Shin, S. M., Park, S. W., Ko, H. R., Shin, S. M., & Park, S. W. (2016). Predicting Factors of Roseola Infantum Infected with Human Herpesvirus 6 from Urinary Tract Infection. Childhood Kidney Diseases, 20(2), 69-73. http://chikd.org/journal/view.php?number=640

Mullins, T. B., & Krishnamurthy, K. (2017). Roseola Infantum. https://europepmc.org/article/med/28846307

Stone, R. C., Micali, G. A., & Schwartz, R. A. (2014). Roseola infantum and its causal human herpesviruses. International Journal of Dermatology, 53(4), 397-403. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijd.12310

Watkins, J. (2013). Diagnosing rashes, part 4: Generalized rashes with fever. Practice Nursing, 24(7), 335-342. https://doi.org/10.12968/pnur.2013.24.7.335