Roseola Infantum in Emergency Medicine Workup

Updated: Mar 05, 2018
  • Author: Lisa S Lewis, MD; Chief Editor: Kirsten A Bechtel, MD  more...
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Workup

Laboratory Studies

See the list below:

  • Given the benign nature and short duration of roseola infantum, laboratory studies generally are not obtained if the child presents with a classic history.

  • Diagnosis of primary HHV-6 can be confirmed by primary viral isolation from the peripheral blood.

  • Specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) serology or a rise in HHV-6-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) and HHV-6 DNA polymerase chain reaction can document infection, even distinguishing between HHV-6a and 6b. [7]

  • If a complete blood count (CBC) is obtained, leukopenia may be noted. The white blood cell (WBC) count usually returns to reference ranges within a week.

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Other Tests

Huang et al conducted a study to identify factors for differentiating roseola infantum from urinary tract infection (UTI) and to describe a cohort of infants diagnosed with roseola infantum and sterile pyuria. The study concluded that leukocytosis is the strongest predictor of UTI over roseola infantum. Sterile pyuria may occur in infants with roseola infantum. [8]

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