Scarlet Fever Complications

Scarlet fever complications

        Untreated scarlatina can lead to complications specific to streptococcal infections such as rheumatic fever or kidney disease, so the doctor will prescribe antibiotic treatment.

Diagnosis and treatment of scarlet fever

        Generally, the scarlet fever is easy to diagnose. The doctor prescribes antibiotics. Follow the prescription period or you will encourage the development of complications and resistance to antibiotics during subsequent use. Your child discomfort will disappear in a few days. Your role will be to monitor the fever. If it is very high, give him a bath temperature of 2 ° C lower than its body temperature and made him drink plenty of herbal tea.

Complications of the Scarlet fever

        Complications can be nephritis (kidney inflammation) or rheumatic fever (RAA). They are due to streptococcal angina poorly treated or untreated. Since the advent of penicillin and cortisone, these complications have almost disappeared.

Differential scarlet fever diagnosis

        Should not be confused with :

• Hives.
• Another viral disease.
• Scarlatiniforme which is a rash (like a scarlet fever) of drug, that usually occurs around the tenth day of treatment, involving urticaria, pruritus (itching) and no symptoms in the throat and tonsils .
• With another eruptive disease of childhood like measles.
• With chickenpox with vesicles and reddish spots, there is no possible confusion.

        The patient suffers from sore throat and headache, cough, a high fever, chills and vomiting. Children feel very sick, and swollen tonsils are responsible for a yellowish coating, pharynx becomes very red and painful swallowing. Lymph nodes in the neck and lower jaw swell. Sometimes the patient may complain of stomachaches. The day after, the rash appears in a typical form of many small red dots or pustules (small blisters) on the trunk, neck and on the inner part of the thigh. On the face, the area around the mouth and chin rest pale. The eruption also saves the soles of the feet and palms of hand. Initially, the language is loaded, after the buds swell, the surface soon resembles a raspberry . After four to five days, the rash becomes pale, the fever drops and disappears after a week. Few days or weeks after the disease, the skin undergoes peeling in small flakes, which are primarily in the palms of hands and soles which desquament in tatters. It is often a relapse during the 3rd week, accompanied by fever, sore throat and redness of the pharynx.

Scarlet fever complications pictures

Serious scarlet fever complications

        Serious complications can occur both during the first outbreak of the disease as the second thrust. It is an inflammation of the meninges, inflammation of the middle ear, inflammation of heart muscle and heart valves or rheumatic disorders (rheumatic fever, arthritis). Before the discovery of antibiotics, there were many cases of cardiocirculatory arrest, sepsis and a very high mortality. Inflammation of the kidneys or nephritis, as a sequel of scarlet fever, seems strangely at about 3 weeks after the onset of illness. Yes, scarlet fever is an emergency and should always be treated. Benign in most cases, it can present complications due to streptococcus, if left untreated by antibiotics.

        Antibiotic treatments are prescribed for a period of 10 days, combined with paracetamol to combat fever. It is generally required to undergo a urine 2 to 3 weeks later. The family and the people who approached the patient are treated with penicillin for 7 days to avoid contamination chain.