OBJECTIVES: To analyse the clinical and serological characteristics of an outbreak of infectious erythema in patients attending the two paediatrics clinics at the Soria Norte Health Centre. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, descriptive study. SETTING: Paediatrics clinics of the Soria Norte Health Centre. PATIENTS: Once the outbreak was suspected, the study was conducted on children with a clinical picture suggesting infectious erythema who attended successively two Soria Norte paediatrics clinics between April and August 1998 and who consented to the analyses. INTERVENTIONS: The clinical symptoms, serology, haemogram and evolution of 25 patients were recorded. RESULTS: 25 patients of the total were studied and diagnostic suspicion was confirmed in 84% of the cases. There were no differences between sexes, with an average age of 6.1, SD 2.015. The most constant clinical sign was exanthem on the cheeks, present in 100% of the cases confirmed, followed by 57% exanthem on the trunk and limbs, 9.5% adenopathies and 4.7% temperature. No complications were found in any case. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study confirm the existence of an outbreak of infectious erythema in our area. Serological confirmation of an outbreak is useful and can lay the basis for a proper therapeutic and preventive focus (against possible complications). We highlight the generally benign nature of the disease.
OBJECTIVES: To analyse the clinical and serological characteristics of an outbreak of infectious erythema in patients attending the two paediatrics clinics at the Soria Norte Health Centre. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, descriptive study. SETTING: Paediatrics clinics of the Soria Norte Health Centre. PATIENTS: Once the outbreak was suspected, the study was conducted on children with a clinical picture suggesting infectious erythema who attended successively two Soria Norte paediatrics clinics between April and August 1998 and who consented to the analyses. INTERVENTIONS: The clinical symptoms, serology, haemogram and evolution of 25 patients were recorded. RESULTS: 25 patients of the total were studied and diagnostic suspicion was confirmed in 84% of the cases. There were no differences between sexes, with an average age of 6.1, SD 2.015. The most constant clinical sign was exanthem on the cheeks, present in 100% of the cases confirmed, followed by 57% exanthem on the trunk and limbs, 9.5% adenopathies and 4.7% temperature. No complications were found in any case. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study confirm the existence of an outbreak of infectious erythema in our area. Serological confirmation of an outbreak is useful and can lay the basis for a proper therapeutic and preventive focus (against possible complications). We highlight the generally benign nature of the disease.
Authors: F A Plummer; G W Hammond; K Forward; L Sekla; L M Thompson; S E Jones; I M Kidd; M J Anderson Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 1985-07-11 Impact factor: 91.245