Roseola Infantum in Emergency Medicine Follow-up

  • Author: Lisa S Lewis, MD; Chief Editor: Richard G Bachur, MD   more...
 
Updated: Apr 28, 2010
 

Deterrence/Prevention

Because of the ubiquity of the virus, isolation of patients with HHV-6 infection is probably unnecessary.

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Complications

Complications of roseola infantum may include the following:

  • Febrile seizures
  • Encephalitis (rare)[5]
  • Meningitis
    • According to Yoshikawa and Asano, the presence of HHV-6 in cerebrospinal fluid has been demonstrated by polymerase chain reaction in 3 of 8 children with febrile seizures and in 3 of 3 children with encephalitis.[6]
    • CNS primary invasion and complications by HHV-6 appear to occur during the acute febrile portion of the illness.
  • Hepatitis
  • Latency - Like other herpes viruses, HHV-6 and HHV-7 may persist in the salivary glands, peripheral blood, and brain.[7] HHV-6 may reactivate following organ or marrow transplant and may mimic graft-versus-host disease. It additionally may have a possible role in the development of temporal lobe epilepsy in immunocompromised patients.[8]
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Prognosis

  • The clinical course of roseola infantum is acute and benign, and complete recovery without sequelae is expected.
  • The skin eruption gradually fades and resolves without scarring.
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Patient Education

For excellent patient education resources, visit eMedicine's Children's Health Center. Also, see eMedicine's patient education article Skin Rashes in Children.

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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Lisa S Lewis, MD  Consulting Staff, Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati

Lisa S Lewis, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Garry Wilkes, MBBS, FACEM  Director of Emergency Medicine, Bunbury Hospital, Western Australia; Medical Consultant, St John Ambulance, WA Ambulance Service; Adjunct Associate Professor, Edith Cowan University; Clinical Associate Professor, Rural Clinical School, University of Western Australia

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Mary L Windle, PharmD  Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Grace M Young, MD  Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland Medical Center

Grace M Young, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Emergency Physicians

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

John D Halamka, MD, MS  Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School; Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

John D Halamka, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Richard G Bachur, MD  Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; Associate Chief and Fellowship Director, Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's Hospital of Boston

Richard G Bachur, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, and Society for Pediatric Research

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

References

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  5. Yoshikawa T, Ohashi M, Miyake F, Fujita A, Usui C, Sugata K, et al. Exanthem subitum-associated encephalitis: nationwide survey in Japan. Pediatr Neurol. Nov 2009;41(5):353-8. [Medline].

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Discrete rose-pink macules/maculopapules characteristic of roseola infantum.
 
 
 
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