My dd woke up this a.m. She complained her legs itched. They looked red so we put a little lotion on. That did not help. When she started to get dressed I noticed that her whole trunk was read and her legs and feet. She is beet red like a sunburn not splotchy. We called the doc just to make sure we didn't need to take her to the er. She said give her Benadryl. She has no fever but is complaining of a little sore throat. Which my son was sick Fri with a sore throat. But he had a fever the whole bit. She is fine except for the itching and red skin. No new foods that I know of. Any ideas? I am planning on taking her in when the doc opens unless she is no longer red from the Bendadryl.

By Beth on Monday, March 12, 2007 - 09:33 am:

I guess I should add I checked her throat it looked fine not swollen. I am going to keep an eye on it and it spreads past the point it is now she is going to the er. It's weird almost like it's made its own line. It not pass her shoulders. It scares me to think if we would have slept longer and it spread up further.

By Vicki on Monday, March 12, 2007 - 09:37 am:

Have you changed laundry soap or softener or dryer sheets recently?

Even if she is no longer red, it is likely the Benadryl working and it might come back after it wears off. Just for your own piece of mind, I would still take her in to be seen.

By Tripletmom on Monday, March 12, 2007 - 09:47 am:

I don't know,but I hope she's feeling better soon.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Monday, March 12, 2007 - 10:46 am:

Rashes are usually caused by viruses, if not allergy related..

Could be Fourth Disease: The rash is like rubella and is often misdiagnosed as rubella. Unlike rubella, however, it is not concentrated on the face and neck. It mainly appears on the trunk (body), is usually not itchy and often fades after two days. It tends to occur in pre-school children.

Fifth disease: (aka: erythema infectiosum) A bright red rash appears on the face first (giving a slapped face appearance) and then after a day or so, appears on the arms and legs. The rash lasts for only a few days but may recur on and off for a few weeks. It is a mild illness but during pregnancy can cause serious effects on the fetus. The infection usually occurs in young school-aged children. DS had this in fifth grade.

Sixth disease: (aka: roseola infantum) usually affects infants at the age of 6 to 18 months. It has a classic feature that the child develops a high fever and runny nose and as soon as the fever settles a bright red rash appears, mainly on the trunk. It is uncommon on the face and limbs. The rash lasts only about two days.

***treatment for the diseases listed above are Benadryl and time.


Scarletina: a rash caused by infection somewhere in the body. Usually the throat but often other places, with the Group A beta-hemolytic Streptococcus germ. Scarlet fever is the full blown syndrome of untreated Strep infection with a much worse rash. There are many strains of Streptococcus germ; this is the one that causes this rash. The immune system forms antibodies that cross react with not only parts of the Strep germ that act as a toxin but also normal tissues in the blood vessels of the body. When this happens in the skin, the blood vessels are injured, dilate, and a characteristic red, sandpapery rash develops. It is often first noted in the underpants area - where the skin stays the warmest. My oldest DD had this in first grade.. If you suspect this rash, even in a child with no complaint of sore throat, you should get medical attention for proper diagnosis and treatment with complete course of an antibiotic.

In my opinion... I would take her in to have her looked at, just in case.. It is hard to describe a rash over the phone.. To get a proper evaluation you need to let her doctor see her.... If it is nothing you know.. If it is major you will know and if there are other symptoms to look for then you will know these too.. Just my opinion of course..

By Colette on Monday, March 12, 2007 - 10:50 am:

My daughter gets scarlet fever every time she gets strep. She never complains about a sore throat so I miss it and think it's the flu until the rash comes out.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Monday, March 12, 2007 - 11:18 am:

Scarlet Fever and Scarletina are the same thing.. What it is referred to as is based on your doctors preference of terms. The Ped I worked for preferred Scarletina because it doesn't always carry a temp as we would assume by the name. Fever actually refers to the rash not the body temp.

Here are more symptoms to look for...

It occurs in young children, usually between two and eight years of age, and is spread by droplet spray from carriers and from individuals who have contracted the disease. The incubation period is from three to five days, and the rash generally lasts about two weeks. Typical symptoms are sore throat, headache, fever, flushed face with a pale ring about the mouth, red spots in the mouth, coated tongue with raw swollen appearance (strawberry tongue), and a characteristic rash on the body. She doesn't have to have all the symptoms to have it and they can come and go over the period. For example, Callie carried the fever during the incubation period but it came down as the rash appeared..

By Beth on Monday, March 12, 2007 - 12:10 pm:

She just went to the doctor. It was not better at all after the bendryl. She is itching like crazy. They checked her for strep and it was negative. She is treating it as an allergic reaction. She gave her zyrtec and a steriod. I have no idea what it could be. We used no new detergent, no new foods ect.. That's what scares me it could happen again in her sleep or something. Hopefully it will not happen again but we will just have to wait and see. The doctor said write down what she is eating ect.. Thanks for the ideas and concern.

By Tayjar on Monday, March 12, 2007 - 12:44 pm:

My daughter had a similar reaction once. We couldn't figure it out. Drove us crazy. It disappeared as quickly as it came on. Didn't see it again for 6 weeks. Grandma just happened to have her and said she got it right after she helped picked tomatoes. Rewind 6 weeks earlier and I remembered she was helping my mom pick tomatoes when she got the first rash. She's not allergic to tomatoes, just the plants. And, no other garden plants that we have discovered.

Good luck. I know how frustrating those weird rashes can be.

By Nicki on Monday, March 12, 2007 - 03:07 pm:

No advice, I just hope she's feeling better, soon!

By Dawnk777 on Monday, March 12, 2007 - 03:51 pm:

I'm glad you took her in. At least you have a clue now, what it might have been. Emily got hives all over her body, right after we tried to use Tide liquid laundry detergent. So, we gave the bottle to a friend and never bought it again. The rash went away and never came back.