| Many people think of the worse when they here the | | | | In some children the areas of skin that are in the flexor |
| words scarlet fever; the fact is that this illness is | | | | creases tend to be more darker in color than the rest |
| nothing more then strep throat with a few rashes. | | | | of the skin rashes on the rest of the body. These |
| The probable cause why people get so nervous when | | | | darker regions are the creases of the elbows, groin, |
| they hear about scarlet fever is that they often | | | | and neck. The area right around the mouth of the child |
| confuse it with rheumatic fever, which is in fact a more | | | | seems to be left unaffected, but sometimes they will |
| severe and serious complication of strep throat when | | | | experience flushed cheeks. The rash seems to blanch |
| left untreated. Another reason would be the ravages | | | | under pressure, so if you push the skin in the rash |
| that scarlet used to have when it wasn't properly | | | | area, the redness of the skin will disappear for a few |
| treated in the 19th and early 20th century. Fortunate | | | | seconds. Some children may develop a white |
| for us and thanks to modern technology this is not the | | | | strawberry tongue, or a red tongue that develops a |
| case anymore. The fact is that we now a great | | | | white coating on it. After the disease has been |
| arsenal of antibiotics with which to properly fight the | | | | properly treated, and as it goes away it is not |
| disease and actual studies have shown that the strain | | | | uncommon for the skin on the child's trunk and then |
| of bacteria that causes scarlet fever seems to be | | | | hands and feet to peel of. |
| getting weaker. | | | | Strange cases of scarlet fever have been known |
| Scarlet fever symptoms are much alike to the one in | | | | where strep throat is actually not present. Other strep |
| normal strep throat. By this we mean sore throat, red | | | | infections, including skin and wound infections, have |
| tonsils with pus on them, swollen glands and of course | | | | been known to trigger scarlet fever, but this is as long |
| fever. In addition to this, most of the children will | | | | as they are caused by the same group A strep |
| sometimes develop after a period of about 24 hours, | | | | bacteria that also causes strep throat. If a child |
| sunburned like sandpapery rash all over their body; | | | | experiences symptoms similar to those in scarlet fever |
| usually the rash on the skin begins on the neck and | | | | but does not have any strep throat related symptoms, |
| then spreads over the trunk, arms and even the legs | | | | than sings of another source for a strep infection |
| of the patient. | | | | should be looked for. |