Fifth Disease Rash: All You Need To Know

Find out what’s causing fifth disease rash and learn – in depth- the symptoms and possible treatments.

Fifth Disease, it is also called Erythema infectiosum, is very common in kids between the ages of 5 and 15. It usually produces a distinctive red rash firstly on the face which makes a child appear to have a “slapped cheek.” This rash will spread to the trunk, arms, and legs. Fifth disease is a viral illness that kids commonly recover from without any complications. It causes a red rash on children’s arms, legs, and cheeks. In adults, joint pain is the main symptom, most often in the wrists, ankles, and knees.

What’s Causing Fifth Disease Rash?

Fifth disease is caused by parvovirus B19. Parvovirus B19 is a human virus not the same parvovirus that veterinarians can be concerned about in pets and it cannot pass from humans to animals or vice versa.

Many studies show that 40% to 60% of adults worldwide have laboratory evidence of a past parvovirus B19 infection, but most of them can’t remember having had symptoms of fifth disease. This fact leads medical experts to believe that the most people with a B19 infection have either very mild symptoms or no symptoms. Fifth disease occurs everywhere in the world. Commonly, outbreaks happen in the late winter and early spring, but there can be sporadic cases of the disease during any time of the year.

Many adults have antibodies that prevent them from developing fifth disease because of previous exposure during childhood. But when people become infected, the symptoms can be severe. If you get fifth disease while pregnant, your unborn baby is in serious risks, including life-threatening anemia. However, For children with healthy immune systems, fifth disease is a very common, mild illness that rarely presents lasting.

What are Symptoms of Fifth Disease Rash?

Fifth disease starts with a low-grade fever, headache, and mild cold-like symptoms. These symptoms pass, and the illness seems to be healed until a rash appears a few days later.

The bright red fifth Disease Rash commonly begins on the face. later, the rash spreads and red blotches extend down to the trunk, arms, and legs. The fifth disease rash usually spares the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. Once the centers of the blotches begin to clear, the rash takes on a lacy net-like appearance.

What If fifth disease rash take a long term?

With most healthy patients, fifth disease has no long-term consequences. But if your immune system is weakened due to chemotherapy for cancer, AIDS, or other conditions, you’ll need to be under a doctor’s care because your body attempts to fight off fifth disease.

Particularly, if you have any type of anemia, you’ll need medical attention because fifth disease will stop your body from producing red blood cells, which will reduce the amount of oxygen that your tissue gets. This happens especially in people with sickle cell anemia. If you have sickle cell anemia, you should see a doctor after being exposed to fifth disease.

Fifth disease can also lead to anemia in your unborn child, which can be life-threatening for your baby. If necessary, your doctor may offer you a blood transfusion to help protect your unborn child.

How is Fifth Disease Rash Transmitted?

Fifth disease is transmitted by respiratory secretions; however, it can also be spread by contact with infected blood. The incubation period, which is the time between the initial infection and the onset of symptoms, is usually between 4-21 days. People with fifth disease are most infectious before the onset of symptoms. School children, day-care workers, teachers and mothers are most likely to be exposed to the virus. There is little risk of transmission when symptoms are evident; therefore, infected people need not be isolated.

How to Prevent Fifth Disease Rash?

Fifth disease rash spreads from one person to another through airborne secretions, so you should try to minimize contact with people who are sneezing, coughing, or blowing their noses. You need to wash your hands frequently to reduce the chances of contracting fifth disease. If you have intact immune system, once you’ve contracted this virus, you are considered immune for life.
Most doctors told their patients to wait out the symptoms because there’s no medication that will shorten the course of the disease. However, if you have a weakened immune system, your doctor may need to monitor you until the symptoms disappear.

What are the complications associated with fifth disease Rash?

There is no evidence that parvovirus B19 infection is a significant cause of fetal defects; however, some studies show that infection may increase risk of miscarriage or spontaneous abortion. In people with chronic red blood cell disorders, infection may result in severe anemia.

When to Worry

If your child’s symptoms get worse with time or if he develops joint swelling, see your pediatrician. If your child has sickle cell disease, talk to your doctor whenever your child gets a fever or seems pale.

How to Treat Fifth Disease Rash?

Most children with fifth disease rash are treated only with symptomatic care in order to make them feel comfortable. If your child has a fever, your pediatrician may recommend acetaminophen to lower the temperature and to reduce the intensity of any aches and pains which are part of the illness. Your doctor also may advise using antihistamines to relieve any itching that associated with the rash. In children with serious anemias, hospitalization and blood transfusions are needed.

What should pregnant women do?

Most pregnant women are immune to this germ, or will not be affected if they become infected by it. However, the virus that causes fifth disease can sometimes harm an unborn child. Miscarriage is more common in women who are infected with this virus before 20 weeks of pregnancy.

If you develop a rash during your pregnancy or come into contact with a person with a rash, you should seek medical advice. Your doctor may usually arrange for you to have a blood test to see if you have had fifth disease in the past. If this is the case, you can be reassured and will not usually need other tests or treatment.

However, if the test does not show that you have had fifth disease in the past, you need to have other blood tests and also other tests such as a scan of your unborn baby.

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