Common Skin Diseases in Children: Identification, Treatment and Prevention

Childhood skin diseases can seem menacing and overwhelming. Fortunately, with a little information and a good relationship with your doctor, any parent can overcome the threatening nature of these skin maladies. This article details four common childhood skin diseases, some with which I have had personal experiences.

Ringworm

The very name of this rash is scary. Do visions of worms infesting the body come to the forefront of your mind? If so, you can relax. Ringworm is more accurately a fungal infection that does not involve any sort of worm infestation.

The first time I ever saw ringworm was about a year ago when my, then 2-year-old daughter had a fungal infection on her stomach. The perfect circular shape, about the size of a dime, left me in awe. I called the doctor and, at first, our doctor told me it was just eczema and to apply hydrocortisone. But after a week this dime increased to the size of a quarter and it became drier and redder. I insisted on taking her in and sure enough it was ringworm.

So, here are some symptoms to look for if you think your child may have ringworm:

A very itchy rash, circular in shape with the outer ridge of the circle comprising of red, raised bumps.

Although the shape is usually defined, sometimes it can spread outside the circle perimeter and not be a perfect circle.

Ringworm can be found anywhere on the body, including the scalp.

What course of treatments should you take? First, visit your doctor. Your physician will be able to diagnose immediately. Next, you will be prescribed an antifungal. This is usually a topical cream that you apply to the infected areas. You need to apply this medication consistently for at least 2 weeks after the rash has gone away. This is very important in order to make sure the infection is completely gone.

I am not sure where my daughter contracted ringworm, but common causes are direct contact with an infected animal (we have a cat) or from other people (maybe it was preschool).Thankfully, this skin condition was very treatable.

Lice

Lice make everyone squirm. Why wouldn't they? While ringworm may not be actual insects, lice are living insects that live on humans and survive on blood. Most commonly in children there are head lice and body lice. Head lice are usually found in the hair or neck area and are occur in a lot preschool and elementary school children. Body lice are found in the seams of clothing. Lice infestations occur when an infected person has close contact with another person or they share clothing, hairbrushes and other personal objects. A myth is that lice can fly or jump from one person to the next.

How do you know if your child has head lice or body lice? With head lice, the scalp may itch intensely for a long period of time. Constant scratching can leave the skin raw and open to infection. When someone has body lice the itching is most severe at night and sores can appear on the skin where the seams of the clothing tend to rub. Generally, you will not find the lice or their eggs on the skin, but in the seams of the clothes.

My child has lice. What drastic measures do I have to take to get rid of this infestation? In order to stop this nasty little invasion, the lice have to be completely destroyed. This can be done with a topical nonprescription or prescription cream, shampoo or a lotion. You will also be advised to wash all bed linens and clothing in hot water. This includes the linens and clothing of all members in the household just to play it safe. It is also a good idea to get rid of all hairbrushes and combs. Treat your family to new ones.

Lice are treatable and it is important to remember that it is not always caused by poor hygiene or unsanitary conditions. People become hosts to these insects for various reasons. Don't feel embarrassed or ashamed if you contract these. Get treatment and get well.

Poison Ivy

While doing research for this article, I came across poison ivy listed as a skin disease on the Palo Alto Medical Foundation website. This surprised me. I never would have thought of it as being a common skin disease, but given the fact that children are adventurous and rambunctious it shouldn't surprise me that they would come in contact with this poison leaf during their outside play.

Poison ivy is horrible. Thankfully, my children have never been infected, but I have and I know the intense itching and pain that accompanies it. What is poison ivy? Poison ivy is a type of plant that contains oil (urushiol). This oil is an allergen that can create a rash in people who are highly sensitive or, otherwise stated, allergic to the plant.

How do you know if your child has poison ivy? Here are some symptoms to look for:

Itchy skin where you had contact with the plant. This can occur anywhere from 8 hours to 2 days after you had contact.

Initially, red streaks or lines appear, but eventually these lines become raised and blisters emerge that can ooze fluid.

The rash can continue to grow in size over the course of a few days. Parts of the skin that were affected may have absorbed more or less of the oil, therefore delaying the onset of the entire rash all at once. The rash can gradually materialize.

How do you treat poison ivy?

Wash the area with soap and water to remove any oil residue.

To ease the itching cool compresses can be used and over-the-counter antihistamines can be taken (Benadryl for children). You can also apply calamine to ease the itch and dry up the oozing fluid.

If the symptoms are extremely bad or cover a large portion of the body, corticosteroid treatments can be prescribed.

Myths:

It is untrue that poison ivy can be spread from area to area because of scratching or seeping rashes. As I said earlier, the oil from the plant can be absorbed differently and gradually cause a rash. If you have a new rash appear a day after several of the first ones appeared, it most likely that the area with the new rash just did not absorb at the same rate as the others.

You can also get poison ivy if you never touch it. Oils from the plant can be carried on clothes. You may have been gardening and there were oils on your gloves. You could have laid them down and your child picked them up to put them on to help. He or she could easily touch the oils and then become infected if they are allergic to the oil.

Prevention:

Poison ivy can be prevented by teaching your children how identify poisonous plants (sumac, ivy and oak). If you are hiking or camping in an area where it is hard to avoid the plant, wear long-sleeves and long pants. When you get back home wash those clothes immediately and separately.

If it is painful for an adult to get poison ivy, it is for a child, too. Teach your children how to identify plants and warn them not to play around them. It will spare them a week or two of a painful rash.

Fifth Disease

This contagious viral infection has also been referred to as the "slapped cheek disease" because of the red rash that appears on the cheeks of children who have been infected with the virus. This infection is caused by the human parvovirus B19. It is much more common in children than in adults and can be spread by coughing or sneezing on someone. According to KidsHealth, it is especially common in children ages 5 to 15.

This sickness has a long and varied incubation period (anywhere from 4 - 20 days). Usually, parents think that their child has the flu and then the rash appears which sends them to the doctor to get the diagnosis. The rash can last for up to 5 days and is bright red in appearance. When it fades it may come back if your child is in the sun, stressed or very warm. This does not mean that your child has been infected again.

One of the reasons this disease if so contagious is that when the rash appears the child is no longer contagious. Therefore, the child has probably already been around enough people when he or she was contagious to spread the illness.

Fifth disease sounds frightening, but it highly treatable. Usually, patients are told to rest, get plenty of fluids and told to take pain relievers to reduce the pain from swollen joints (joint pain in more common in adults who are infected). In complicated cases, hospitalization may be required.

If you need more information on these childhood skin diseases or any other skin conditions, you can visit the Palo Alto Medical Foundation's Web site at www.pamf.org or KidsHealth at www.KidsHealth.org.

Sources:

www.pamf.org

www.KidsHealth.org

http://kidshealth.org/teen/infections/fungal/ringworm.html

http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/common/lice.html

http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/safety/first_aid/poison_ivy.html

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/sheets/poison_ivy_sheet.html

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/fifth.html