Scarlet fever refers to infectious diseases that affected humanity in ancient times. However, in the course of evolution, people developed, and if before scarlet fever was considered a terrible disease that invariably leads to complications that remain for life, today it is carried by many in an easy form.
Scarlet fever often affects only children whose immunity is still too weak to withstand persistent bacteria. And many people have a question whether adults are sick with scarlet fever, believing that this is exclusively a "child" disease. Of course, infection does not matter what age the body has - for it is important only that the immune system is weakened. Therefore scarlet fever is sick both adults and children.
Symptoms of scarlet fever in adults
Signs of scarlet fever in adults can be seen as early as a week after infection, and in some cases in two weeks. It depends on how much immunity is able to suppress the infection.
The temperature with scarlet fever rarely exceeds 38 degrees. In this case, the patient may be tormented by headaches, depressed emotional state, weakness. A clear sign of this disease is a single vomiting, after which the throat begins to ache after a few hours.
External signs of scarlet fever occur the day after the fever and vomiting:
- there is a small rash in the form of small dots: first on the neck, shoulders and chest, and then spreads throughout the body;
- Since the rash does not affect the area of the nose, lips and chin, the patient forms the so-called "white triangle", which stands out against the background of red spots.
Since scarlet fever tends to show poorly, there may not be clear symptoms: for example, there is no fever, or the face is not covered with red spots, unlike other parts of the body. The light form of scarlet fever does not exclude possible complications:
- Relapse. This is one of the forms of complications, when a few weeks after the illness a person falls ill again.
- Angina. Also, scarlet fever can be complicated by tonsillitis, in which the lymph nodes in the neck become swollen and become painful on palpation.
- Otitis. Infection with improper treatment or weakened immunity can affect the middle ear.
- Inflammation of the kidneys . Now this complication occurs seldom, however, it is quite probable.
- Rheumatism. Scarlet fever also causes an exacerbation of rheumatism.
The incubation period of scarlet fever in adults is about 10 days.
How to treat scarlet fever in adults?
Treatment of scarlet fever in adults is almost the same as treating children. The only difference is the dosage of medications.
- Bed rest. A person can be hospitalized only in severe cases, so usually the treatment is done at home. The patient needs to organize a separate room and provide clean bed linen. It is not recommended to carry the disease "on legs". Also, the patient is given a separate dish, which is boiled. It is desirable that the patient has minimal contact with the outside world, since the bacteria of scarlet fever live for a very long time in the external environment, and then they can cause a relapse.
- Antibiotics. Antibacterial agents of the penicillin line effectively fight infection. At home, treatment is prescribed tablets, and in-patient injections. It can be amoxicillin, retarpen and their analogues.
- Decongestants. To remove swelling of the pharynx, the doctor can prescribe antiallergic drugs - cetrine,
allergens and the like. - Vitaminotherapy. Vitamin C stimulates immunity, so in conditions of infection, it helps the body.
Prevention of scarlet fever in adults
Preventive measures consist, mainly, in observing sanitary norms - isolating the patient, giving him individual personal items (dishes, towels). Streptococcus perishes at high temperatures, so all the things a patient has used must undergo a hot treatment.