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2023 Author: Benjamin Dyson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 01:37
Sore throat, bright red spots on the skin, fever, red face and red and inflamed tongue with a raspberry appearance are some of the main symptoms caused by scarlet fever, which is an infectious disease caused by the group A Streptococcus bacteria.
Scarlet fever is more common in children and adolescents up to 15 years of age, and symptoms usually appear 2 to 5 days after contact with the virus.
In the presence of signs and symptoms indicative of scarlet fever, it is important that the doctor is consulted for an evaluation and the most appropriate treatment, which usually involves the use of antibiotics. Learn more about scarlet fever.
Symptoms of Scarlet fever
Some of the main symptoms of scarlet fever include:
- Pain and throat infection;
- High fever above 39ºC;
- Itchy skin;
- Bright red spots on the skin, similar to a pinhead;
- Red face and mouth;
- Red and inflamed raspberry-colored tongue;
- Nausea and vomiting;
- Headache;
- General malaise;
- Lack of appetite;
- Dry cough.
In most cases, after starting treatment, symptoms begin to subside within 24 hours, and at the end of 6 days of treatment, the red spots on the skin disappear and the skin flakes off.
How the diagnosis is made
The diagnosis of Scarlet fever can be made by the doctor through a physical examination where the symptoms are observed. Scarlet fever is suspected if the infant or child has a fever, sore throat, bright red spots and blisters on the skin, or an inflamed, red tongue.
To confirm suspicions of scarlet fever, the doctor may use a rapid laboratory kit to perform a test that detects Streptococcus infections in the throat or may take a saliva sample to be analyzed in the laboratory. Also, another way to diagnose this disease is to order a blood test to evaluate the levels of white blood cells in the blood, which if they are high indicate the presence of an infection in the body.
