Common Rashes in Children

As a parent you might want a flawless skin for your child but very often young children and babies develop rashes on their skin. Most of the rashes are caused by viral infections and are typically harmless and usually go away on their own.  The rashes can be differentiated based on their appearance, location and associated symptoms. If you want to know more about the common rashes and the symptoms occurring in children keep reading this blog.

Most Common Rashes

Atopic dermatitis

It is a common childhood inflammatory skin disease. This chronic skin disease is relapsing in nature. Atopic dermatitis typically presents in infancy and early childhood and may persist into adulthood. Children may present with a variety of skin changes, including erythematous plaques and papules, excoriations, severely dry skin, scaling, and vesicular lesions. In few cases despite good skin care practices, topical corticosteroids are usually needed during flare-ups.

Roseola

It is mostly caused by human herpes virus 6 and affects infants and children younger than three years. It is often accompanied with symptoms like abrupt onset of high fever lasting one to five days. During this period, children often appear well with no focal clinical signs except possible mild cough or mild diarrhea.

Impetigo

It is a primary or secondary bacterial infection of the epidermis of the skin. Primary infections occur when bacteria enter breaks in the skin, whereas secondary infections develop at the site of an existing dermatosis.

Rashes which call for immediate medical attention

• If your child has a fever and a rash that does not turn white (blanch) when pressed or they are very unwell, seek emergency medical care as it may be a sign of Meningococcal infection (or meningococcal disease) is caused by a bacteria called meningococcus.
• If you notice a distinctive rash along with high fever in your child it may be a sign of measles. Measles is contagious and can be serious.