Fifth And Sixth Disease In Children

Fifth Disease

Erythema infectiosum is another name for the fifth illness. The cause is a viral infection, with Human Parvovirus B19 acting as the agent. The human parvovirus B19 is a little virus with a single strand of DNA. The age range of 5 to 15 years old is the most common for the fifth sickness.
The fifth sickness takes 16–17 days to incubate. The droplet route serves as the transmission path.

Clinical Features of Fifth Disease

Initially, a prodrome appears after an incubation period spanning 16–17 days.  The prodrome includes symptoms resembling URIs, agitation, and an unclear low- to moderate-grade fever.  The image depicts the beginning of the rash following a varied period of fever, which can last anywhere from one to five days.

The rash gives the appearance of a "slapped cheek," which is a bilateral maculopapular rash on the cheeks. It moves in the direction of the proximal limbs and trunk. The rash starts as macules that exhibit center clearing and often take on a lacy or reticulated pattern; it takes one to three weeks to go away after that.

Also Read: Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) Infection in Children

Complications of Fifth Disease

Although they are more common in adults than in children, the consequences include acute ITP, aseptic meningitis, arthritis, and arthralgia are frequently observed in children.  Rarely, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis may occur. In pregnant women, parvovirus B19 produces non-immune fetal hydropsies. The fifth disease is treated with supportive care solely.

Also Read: Pediatric Viral Infection With Rash- Measles

Sixth Disease

The sixth disease, also known as Exanthem Subitem or Roseola Infantum, is caused by Human Herpesvirus 6. Echovirus-16/19 or Human Herpesvirus 7 can sporadically also cause this condition. The most prevalent age range is three years to six months.

The incubation time for the sixth disease might last anywhere from a few days to three weeks.  The Droplet path is mostly to blame for the transmission path. That being said, in comparison to other diseases, its infectivity is minimal.

Clinical Features of Sixth Disease

The prodrome will first present with symptoms resembling URI and a very high-grade fever.  This prodrome may last for three to four days, at which point it begins to fade. Within twelve hours of the fever decreasing, a rash usually appears.

The rash is characterized by pink macules that start on the trunk, move down the limbs, and occasionally even toward the face.  It is thought to be a non-confluent, non-itchy, or non-pruritic rash that gradually goes away over the course of a few days to two weeks.

They usually go away in three to seven days. Supportive care is the recommended course of treatment for this rash, which is characterized by the appearance of Nagayama spots, or ulcers at the Uvulopalatoglossal junction.

Hope you found this blog helpful for your NEET SS Pediatrics Infections preparation. For more informative and interesting posts like these, keep reading PrepLadder’s blogs.