Infect Chemother.  2015 Sep;47(3):155-166. 10.3947/ic.2015.47.3.155.

Febrile Illness with Skin Rashes

• Kang JH

• KMID: 2068980
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2015.47.3.155

Abstract

Skin rashes that appear during febrile illnesses are in fact caused by various infectious diseases. Since infectious exanthematous diseases range from mild infections that disappear naturally to severe infectious diseases, focus on and basic knowledge of these diseases is very important. But, these include non-infectious diseases, so that comprehensive knowledge of these other diseases is required. Usually, early diagnostic testing for a febrile illness with a rash is inefficient. For clinical diagnosis of diseases accompanied by skin rash and fever, a complete history must be taken, including recent travel, contact with animals, medications, and exposure to forests and other natural environments. In addition, time of onset of symptoms and the characteristics of the rash itself (morphology, location, distribution) could be helpful in the clinical diagnosis. It is also critical to understand the patient's history of specific underlying diseases. However, diagnostic basic tests could be helpful in diagnosis if they are repeated and the clinical course is monitored. Generally, skin rashes are nonspecific and self-limited. Therefore, it could be clinically meaningful as a characteristic diagnostic finding in a very small subset of specific diseases.

Keyword

Febrile illness; Skin rash; Infectious disease; Non-infectious disease

MeSH Terms

Animals
Communicable Diseases
Diagnosis
Diagnostic Tests, Routine
Exanthema*
Fever
Skin*
Trees

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