Scarlet fever - causes and symptoms of scarlet fever

Like many other acute infectious diseases, scarlet fever has an incubation period that lasts about three days, although it can last a week. The first signs of the disease appear suddenly, the patient's health deteriorates rapidly, expressed in drowsiness, chills, lethargy, often nausea with vomiting.

It is most often found in children of school age, who become infected with it from each other, since scarlet fever is very easily transmitted through household items. It can proceed both severely and relatively mildly, which will affect the time it will take to heal from the disease. Therefore, it is very important to consult a pediatrician as soon as possible.

Within a few hours, a rash appears, which remains on the skin for about the same period of time that the incubation period takes. The rash disappears without a trace, but if the patient has not recovered by that time, the skin begins to peel in one or two weeks.

Causes

The body of a person with scarlet fever was affected by a specific bacterium, which is a parasite. It lives in the digestive tract (especially the large intestine) and sometimes in the respiratory tract. The bacterium also accumulates in the mouth and nose. Toys, clothes, bed linen - all this can become a means of transmitting the bacterium that causes scarlet fever, as can dishes. In the first days of the disease, the bacteria are especially active, so outbreaks of infection occur, as a rule, at the beginning of the disease, when the first symptoms of the disease are detected.

Symptoms

As already mentioned above, the symptoms of scarlet fever appear quite sharply, sometimes even suddenly. This disease is accompanied by weakness, chills, and fever. But over the next few days, more specific manifestations of the disease will also be observed:

• a rash appears that holds its shape well and is small in size. It does not affect the triangle between the nose and lips, although it abundantly covers the cheeks, and is also localized in the groin and under the arms. Disappears without a trace, and after a week or two the skin begins to peel;
• tonsillitis appears, which is much more severe than usual with scarlet fever;
• the patient's tongue turns red after a couple of days.

It should be noted that it is necessary to make an appointment with a pediatrician in case of a child's illness as early as possible, since scarlet fever is potentially dangerous even with a fatal outcome, as well as complications. Although recently there has been a significant improvement in the course of scarlet fever.

Diagnostics

Since the symptomatic manifestations of the disease are quite specific, scarlet fever is diagnosed by observing the symptoms. But to distinguish it from the same measles, it is necessary to make a swab from the patient's throat.

Treatment

Scarlet fever is rarely treated in hospital, as more and more often the course of this disease is alleviated. An infectious disease specialist or, in the case of children, a pediatrician, prescribes a course of antibiotics. The patient is prescribed strict bed rest, quite a long one, as well as a special diet, more gentle. The patient should drink a lot, but not hot, but warm liquids, and also take vitamins of group B and C. It is very important to help the body overcome the disease itself, supporting it and strengthening its strength. At the same time, the role of antibiotics decreases over time, although their contribution to the treatment of scarlet fever cannot be overestimated. There is also an opinion that it is the spread of penicillin antibiotics that is so destructive for streptococcus, although an objective assessment of the course of the disease in our time makes it clear that the relief of scarlet fever is due to good nutrition and a good lifestyle of modern children.

It should be noted that scarlet fever has weakened significantly recently. Recovery is faster, symptoms are much less pronounced. Sometimes this even allows you to exclude antibiotics from the course of treatment (without consequences not only for complications, but even for the speed of recovery), although doctor's supervision, of course, remains mandatory. The reason, apparently, is an improvement in the quality of life, good nutrition. Basically, recovery comes two weeks after the onset of symptoms with adequate treatment.

But nevertheless, scarlet fever remains a serious disease. Penicillin antibiotics will help in the fight against it, and you should also strictly follow the doctor's instructions. Particular attention should be paid to the treatment of the accompanying angina.

Prevention

Good nutrition, a healthy lifestyle, maintaining a combat-ready immune system - all this is a preventive measure against scarlet fever, and a very effective one at that. In addition, patients with scarlet fever are quarantined - their temporary isolation also serves as a preventive measure against this disease.