Archive for the ‘Fifth Disease’ Category

Symptoms  Of Fifth Disease

 What Is Fifth Disease Symptoms?

Fifth disease, also called erythema infectiosum, is a viral infection caused by human parvovirus B19. It occurs most commonly in children with up to 70% of all cases occurring in children 5 to 15 years old.Called fifth disease because it was historically the fifth childhood infectious rash to be named, this viral infection occurs worldwide but is more common in temperate climates. Epidemics are seasonal with most outbreaks occurring in the winter and spring. The infection seems to be more common in girls than boys.There is no vaccine for fifth disease. However, once you’re infected with the virus, you’re immune for life against future infections.Fifth disease is caused by human parvovirus B19, a virus that only affects humans. It is transmitted from person to person the same way as any viral cold is spread. The infection is most commonly spread by inhaling air containing viral particles after an infected person has coughed or sneezed, or by sharing drinking vessels or eating utensils. It can also be passed from an infected pregnant woman to an unborn child and through blood transfusions.

Major Fifth Disease Symptoms:

Many children get fifth disease at some point during their childhood. It is called fifth disease because it was the fifth most common childhood illness including a rash. Fifth disease is most common in the early spring and children ages 2-12 are the most likely to develop the illness. Fifth disease is caused by a virus-human parvovirus B19, which is transmitted through respiratory secretions and blood. Most cases are the most contagious before the actual onset of the illness.Symptoms of fifth disease are an intense flush on a child’s face that looks like a slapped-cheek. The following day your child generally develops a lacy rash on their arms and legs. Three days after your child has come on contact, your child will have a rash her inner surfaces, fingers, toes, trunk and the buttocks. The rash could still appear on and off with exposure to heat for 2 to 3 weeks and even months. Occasionally, your child may have a fever and joint pain with fifth disease.The incubation period for fifth disease is usually 4 to 14 days, but could be as long as 20 days. You can expect the initial rash to last for several days and up to a week. The rash may also recur for weeks or months.

More Fifth Disease Symptoms:

Bright red cheeks are a defining symptom of the infection in children (hence the name “slapped cheek disease”). Occasionally the rash will extend over the bridge of the nose or around the mouth. In addition to red cheeks, children often develop a red, lacy rash on the rest of the body, with the upper arms and legs being the most common locations. The rash typically lasts a couple of days and may itch; some cases have been known to last for several weeks. Patients are usually no longer infectious once the rash has appeared.Teenagers and adults may present with a self-limited arthritis. It manifests in painful swelling of the joints that feels similar to arthritis. Older children and adults with Fifth Disease may have difficulty in walking and in bending joints such as wrists, knees, ankles, fingers, and shoulders.The disease is usually mild, but in certain risk groups it can have serious consequences:In pregnant women, infection in the first trimester has been linked to hydrops fetalis, causing spontaneous abortion.In people with sickle-cell disease or other forms of chronic hemolytic anemia such as hereditary spherocytosis, infection can precipitate an aplastic crisis.