What you should know about roseola

Roseola, also known as roseola infantum or sixth disease, is a viral infection. It usually affects children between 6 months and 2 years of age, with most having had it by kindergarten. Adults are not often affected.

Symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough, and sore throat. A rash starts to occur when the fever ends. Roseola is not usually a serious condition. It typically resolves within a week or so after symptoms start.

Read on to discover the symptoms of roseola, and to learn how to treat this common condition.

Fast facts on roseola:

• It is a contagious condition that spreads through infected respiratory secretions.
• After the child's temperature returns to normal, they will likely develop a pink-colored rash.
• Similarly to other viral infections, roseola needs to run its course.

Symptoms

Roseola symptoms typically appear within 5 to 15 days of infection with the virus. However, in mild cases, symptoms may not be noticeable.

Common roseola symptoms include:

Rash

A roseola rash starts on the torso before spreading to the arms, legs, neck, and face. It appears as small pink spots that may be flat or raised.

Some of the spots may have a lighter ring or halo around them. Roseola spots turn white or fade when pressed with a glass. This rash does not typically cause itching or discomfort and fades within a few days.

However, it is important to note that not all children get the rash.

Upper respiratory symptoms

Some children will develop mild upper respiratory symptoms before or with the fever. These symptoms may include:

• cough
• diarrhea
• irritability
• loss of appetite
• runny nose
• sore throat
• swollen eyelids
• swollen lymph nodes in the neck

Fever

A sudden, high fever is one of the first signs of roseola and when a person is most contagious. The fever can sometimes reach 105.0°F (40.5°C) and can last for 3 to 5 days.

What are the causes?

Roseola can spread between children even when no rash is present, and it can occur at any time of the year.

The condition is caused by a virus, more commonly human herpes virus 6, but also human herpes virus 7.

Risk factors

Most children will contract roseola at a young age. They are at greatest risk between the ages of 6 and 15 months of age when their immune systems have not yet developed antibodies to fight the virus, as this illness occurs upon virus exposure.

A child under 6 months of age may still be protected by its mother's antibodies, which were passed to it, during gestation.

Complications

Roseola rarely causes complications, with the vast majority of people making a full recovery in approximately 7 days after their symptoms start. When complications do arise, they include:

Seizures

According to the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS), some children with roseola have seizures or fits called febrile seizures. These seizures may occur in children who experience a rapid increase in temperature.

Seizures may cause a brief loss of consciousness, jerking of the limbs or head, and loss of bladder or bowel control.

Although alarming, febrile seizures do not usually cause harm to otherwise healthy children. However, emergency treatment should be sought.

Problems in people with compromised immunity

People with weak immune systems may experience complications if they contract roseola. Examples of groups with compromised immunity include people with HIV and AIDs or leukemia and recent recipients of organ transplants.

If people with weakened immunity acquire roseola, or experience a reactivation of a previous infection, they may develop a more severe case of the illness and struggle to recover from the virus.

Complications include pneumonia or inflammation of the brain known as encephalitis, which can be life-threatening.

Source: Medical News Today