A low-grade fever of less than 102 degrees Fahrenheit is common in children and may be caused by a variety of ailments. About 10 percent of viruses will have a rash accompanying a fever, according to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, and are not usually cause for concern. Still, if your child manifests a new rash while ill with a fever, consult your doctor. It is rare that a rash with a low-grade fever warrants a trip to the emergency room, however, according to Dr. William Sears.
Generic Viral Rashes
A generic viral rash is common and should not cause undue anxiety. A generic rash may be pimply, lacy, bumpy, flat or raised, but will usually start on your child’s trunk and then move to the extremities. These rashes still warrant consultation with your child’s doctor, but unless your child’s symptoms worsen or her behavior changes, there is little harm in waiting a day to visit the doctor.
Fifth Disease
Sometimes called the “slapped-cheek” disease, the infection does not cause a rash at first. Rather, the characteristic rash occurs after the fever has abated and the child is no longer contagious. After the initial fever and cold-like symptoms end, the rash occurs as bright red marks across the cheeks and as lacy or pimply rashes on the extremities. The disease rarely causes serious illness and confers lifetime immunity after the first infection.
Roseola
Roseola is a common illness in young children that causes fever, possibly above 103 degrees Fahrenheit, for a few days and then a rash as the fever wanes. The roseola rash may be flat or bumpy or may have a lacy appearance, but is most often concentrated on the upper back and neck before spreading to the extremities. It resembles a severe heat rash. Roseola is seldom serious and resolves itself without complications.
When to Worry
One family of rashes that should be considered an emergency if it is seen or even suspected is petechiae or purpura. These rashes indicate blood vessels have burst under the skin and can indicate a serious infection. Petechiae will resemble flat red pinpricks on the skin, like marks made with a red pen. Purpura will appear much the same, only larger and closer to purple or blue. If you’re uncertain, press on the marks; any other kind of bump or rash will whiten slightly when pressed, but petechiae and purpura will retain their color. They will also always be flat, not raised. Petechiae on the face or neck is sometimes not a cause for worry if your child has been vomiting or coughing, but if he has not, or if the rash appears anywhere else on his body, you should place an urgent call to your doctor or take your child to the emergency room.
References
- AskDrSears.com; Rashes; Dr. William Sears
- Palo Alto Medical Foundation; Pediatrics Department; Treating Fever
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Division of Viral Diseases; Parvovirus B19 (Fifth Disease); February 2011
- MayoClinic.com; Roseola -- Basics; March 2010
- MayoClinic.com; Roseola – Symptoms; March 2010
