Scarlet Fever

http://otorhinolaryngology-crete.blogspot.com/2017/05/scarlet-fever.html

A 20-year-old man presented to his primary care physician with a 3-day history of swollen tonsils, sore throat, fevers, chills, and rash. The nonpruritic rash had started on his abdomen, spread to his chest and back, and then appeared on his arms, legs, and face. He had no known allergies or exposures to new medications and had no history of similar rash. Examination revealed exudative tonsillitis (Panel A), strawberry tongue, and cervical adenopathy with tenderness. Skin examination revealed diffuse blanching erythema with punctate papules that caused the skin on his chest, abdomen, back, arms, and legs to have a sandpaper-like quality (Panel B shows the left side of his abdomen). His neck and right flank had linear petechial patches. A rapid test for streptococcal pharyngitis was positive. The finding of acute streptococcal pharyngitis along with the diffuse rash led to a diagnosis of scarlet fever. The rash of scarlet fever is a delayed-type hypersensitivity to an exotoxin and therefore occurs in persons who have had a previous exposure to Streptococcus pyogenes. The rash classically manifests with linear petechial confluences that are known as Pastia's lines, which were seen in this patient. The patient was treated with antibiotic agents and had complete resolution of his symptoms within 3 days.

Alyson Brinker, M.D.

Navy Hospital Guam, Yigo, Guam 

Alexandros Sfakianakis
Anapafseos 5 . Agios Nikolaos
Crete.Greece.72100
2841026182

6948891480

alsfakia@gmail.com