ROSEOLA INFANTUM

Course overview

ROSEOLA INFANTUM IS A COMMON DISEASE OF CHILDHOOD THAT IS SEEN GLOBALLY AND IS CAUSED BY INFECTION WITH HUMAN HERPESVIRUS 6 (HHV-6), OR, LESS FREQUENTLY, BY HUMAN HERPESVIRUS 7 (HHV-7). ROSEOLA INFANTUM, ALSO KNOWN AS EXANTHEMA SUBITUM OR SIXTH DISEASE, TYPICALLY PRESENTS IN CHILDREN BETWEEN SIX AND 12 MONTHS OF AGE; NINETY PERCENT OF CASES OCCUR IN CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN TWO YEARS. THIS CONDITION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR BETWEEN 10 AND 45 PERCENT OF FEBRILE ILLNESS IN INFANTS. PATIENTS WITH THE VIRUS CLASSICALLY PRESENT WITH ACUTE ONSET HIGH-GRADE FEVER UP TO 40 DEGREES CELSIUS (104 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT) LASTING BETWEEN THREE AND FIVE DAYS. AFTER THAT, RAPID DEFERVESCENCE OF THE FEVER IS ACCOMPANIED BY A NONPRURITIC, PINK PAPULAR RASH THAT BEGINS ON THE TRUNK. FIFTEEN PERCENT OF CHILDREN WILL ALSO EXPERIENCE AN ACUTE FEBRILE SEIZURE DURING THE FEBRILE PHASE OF THE ILLNESS. ROSEOLA INFANTUM IS A CLINICALLY DIAGNOSED, SELF-LIMITED ILLNESS THAT CAN BE TREATED SYMPTOMATICALLY. HHV-6 WILL LIKELY REMAIN LATENT IN IMMUNOCOMPETENT PATIENTS BUT CAN BE A MAJOR CAUSE OF MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY IN PATIENTS WHO ARE IMMUNOSUPPRESSED. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE EVALUATION, DIAGNOSIS, AND MANAGEMENT OF ROSEOLA INFANTUM AND STRESSES THE ROLE OF TEAM-BASED INTERPROFESSIONAL CARE FOR AFFECTED PATIENTS.