What are the symptoms of eczema herpeticum?

Herpetic eczema is a skin disease that usually occurs in children during their growth period. Children with eczema usually have blisters on their skin, redness, swelling, itching and other symptoms. It can also easily cause children to have fever, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, etc., which can cause inflammation of the body. It can be treated with medication. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, keep the skin clean and hygienic, avoid contact with bacteria, stay away from plants, flowers and animal hair as much as possible to avoid further irritation of the skin, wear pure cotton and non-irritating clothing and supplies, avoid using irritating bath products, and avoid eating allergic foods.

Overview

Herpetic eczema mostly occurs in children under 5 years old, but can also be seen in adults. After being infected with the herpes simplex virus, after an incubation period of about 5 to 9 days, symptoms of poisoning such as sudden high fever (39-40℃), general discomfort, nausea, vomiting and drowsiness will occur. The rash begins on the face, neck, upper limbs and trunk where there is already a skin disease, and can also occur on normal skin. Rarely in the lower limbs. Characteristics of the rash: The original rash worsens, and many dense blisters suddenly appear, quickly turning into pustules with umbilical pits on top of the blisters and obvious redness and swelling at the base. Sometimes the rash merges into flakes, and after 1 to 2 weeks the rash dries and forms scabs, leaving behind pigmentation and superficial scars. Swollen nearby lymph nodes. It may be complicated by pharyngitis, tonsillitis, rhinitis, otitis media, conjunctivitis, keratitis or corneal ulcer, pneumonia and encephalitis.

Symptoms

Many umbilical blisters and pustules suddenly occur in the affected area and its surrounding skin, accompanied by systemic symptoms.

Diagnosis

Herpes zoster virus can be detected by tissue culture, antibodies can be seen in the serum by immunofluorescence testing, blisters contain complement-binding antigens, multinucleated balloon-shaped cells can be seen in blister fluid smears, and electron microscopy can quickly (30 minutes) make a reliable diagnosis.

The diagnosis is not difficult based on the characteristics of clustered blisters, distribution along nerves, arrangement in bands, unilaterality and obvious neuralgia. Before herpes appears or when it manifests as abortive herpes zoster, neuralgia may be suspected of other diseases and requires attention. Sometimes it needs to be differentiated from herpes simplex, which tends to occur at the junction of the skin and mucous membranes, is more common in the course of febrile diseases, and often has a history of recurrent attacks.

Disease Risk

People of all ages and genders can develop eczema herpeticum. In most cases, the illness lasts two weeks, but it is not uncommon for it to last up to six weeks. Most people who develop this condition have pre-existing eczema, but eczema is not always the underlying cause as it can also occur in areas of burns or trauma.

There are some serious complications associated with eczema herpeticum. First, the disease has the potential to spread to the patient's eyes and potentially cause blindness. In severe cases, it can spread to internal organs and cause fatal organ failure. The most serious complication is called superinfection, which occurs when Staphylococcus aureus invades the site of the eczema herpeticum virus infection. When dual infection occurs, the risk of the disease being fatal is very high, even with appropriate treatment.

treat

Because eczema herpeticum is rare and can look like a severe eczema outbreak, early diagnosis is difficult. If you suspect you have this disease, it is recommended that you go to the hospital for examination immediately. Early diagnosis is important as severe complications may develop in late stages. Doctors usually need to collect a sample of fluid from the injury for testing and may start treatment before the results are known.