One of the cases that I had presented during this rotation was of a 5-month-old child who had suddenly developed a rash that had spread across his body. Out of concern, the mother brought the child to the office to have the doctor assess the patient. The rash had actually started approximately two days ago and doesn’t appear to irritate the patient. The patient also has no fever and appears to be doing well. She denies introducing new foods to him or using harsh detergents as well. Upon further questioning, I found out that the child had actually developed a fever a few days before which had since resolved. It was after the fever had resolved that a rash started developing on the child’s torso and had now spread to all of his extremities, back and face.
Upon physical exam, the patient appeared to have a pink maculopapular rash that was blanchable, however the patient did not seem irritated by the rash, and was very playful and active. Based on the patient’s history and physical exam, it was clear that the patient had developed Roseola, caused by HHV 6. This case highlighted the importance of a thorough history, as well as the importance of understanding and differentiating the exanthems.