Roseola caused DS to have a Febrile Convulsion

[mz sv6]

Has anyone else child every had ROSEOLA before ???

This is what caused DS to have a Febrile Convulsion on tuesday afternoon DS was admitted into hospital on tuesday lunch time after having a Febrrile Convulsion (seizure) at her home. His temp was at 40.7 when the ambulance turned up and when we got to the hospital his temp had dropped back down again and was fine up untill about 6pm that arvo when all of a sudden his temp went back to 40.2 and DS had another convulsion at the hospital since tuesday arvo his temp had been goin up and down every few hours his had around the clock monitoring and been given panadol his had blood test n a chest xray but they still dont no whats causing the temp. They sent DS home Thursday morning but i still need to monitor his temp and give him panadol if it gets high again. Today i took DS back to the doctor cause he has a rash over his body and the doctor told me that DS has ROSEOLA

WHATS ROSEOLA
Roseola (also known as sixth disease, exanthem subitum, and roseola infantum) is a viral illness in young children, most commonly affecting those between the ages of 6 months and 2 years. It is typically marked by several days of high fever, followed by a distinctive rash just as the fever breaks.
Two common and closely related viruses can cause roseola: human herpesvirus (HHV) type 6 and possibly type 7. These two viruses belong to the same family as the better-known herpes simplex viruses (HSV), but HHV-6 and HHV-7 do not cause the cold sores and genital herpes infections that HSV can cause.

Signs and Symptoms
A child with roseola typically develops a mild upper respiratory illness, followed by a high fever (often over 103° Fahrenheit, or 39.5° Celsius) for up to a week. During this time, the child may appear fussy or irritable and may have a decreased appetite and swollen lymph nodes (glands) in the neck.

The high fever often ends abruptly, and at about the same time a pinkish-red flat or raised rash appears on the child's trunk and spreads over the body. The rash's spots blanch (turn white) when you touch them, and individual spots may have a lighter "halo" around them. The rash usually spreads to the neck, face, arms, and legs.
The fast-rising fever that comes with roseola triggers febrile seizures (convulsions caused by high fevers) in about 10% to 15% of young children. Signs of a febrile seizure include:

• unconsciousness
• 2 to 3 minutes of jerking or twitching in the arms, legs, or face
• loss of control of the bladder or bowels

Contagiousness
Roseola is contagious and spreads through tiny drops of fluid from the nose and throat of infected people. These drops are expelled when the infected person talks, laughs, sneezes, or coughs. Then if other people breathe the drops in or touch them and then touch their own noses or mouths, they can become infected as well.
The viruses that cause roseola do not appear to be spread by kids while they are exhibiting symptoms of the illness. Instead, someone who has not yet developed symptoms often spreads the infection.

Prevention
There is no known way to prevent the spread of roseola. Because the infection usually affects young children but rarely adults, it is thought that a bout of roseola in childhood may provide some lasting immunity to the illness. Repeat cases of roseola may occur, but they are not common.

Duration
The fever of roseola lasts from 3 to 7 days, followed by a rash lasting from hours to a few days.

Professional Treatment
To make a diagnosis, your doctor first will take a history and do a thorough physical examination. A diagnosis of roseola is often uncertain until the fever drops and the rash appears, so the doctor may order tests to make sure that the fever is not caused by another type of infection.
The illness typically does not require professional treatment, and when it does, most treatment is aimed at reducing the high fever. Antibiotics cannot treat roseola because a virus, not a bacterium, causes it.

Home Treatment
Until the fever drops, you can help keep your child cool using a sponge or towel soaked in lukewarm water. Do not use ice, cold water, alcohol rubs, fans, or cold baths. Acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) or ibuprofen (such as Advil or Motrin) can help to reduce your child's fever. Avoid giving aspirin to a child who has a viral illness because the use of aspirin in such cases has been associated with the development of Reye syndrome, which can lead to liver failure and death.
To prevent dehydration from the fever, encourage your child to drink clear fluids such as water with ice chips, children's electrolyte solutions, flat sodas like ginger ale or lemon-lime (stir room-temperature soda until the fizz disappears), or clear broth. If you are still breastfeeding, breast milk can help prevent dehydration as well.

When to Call the Doctor
Call the doctor if your child is lethargic or not drinking or if you cannot keep the fever down. If your child has a seizure, seek emergency care immediately.

[reAllytee]

Its a very common childhood illness ... Both my boys have had it now with no ill effects except for them nearly being admitted to hospital as they wouldnt drink.

I was lucky enough to keep their temps under control.

Boof was with both Nuerofen & Panadol in a tepid bath at 3am for 3hrs. But with G it was a case of panadol doing the trick luckily !

Sorry to hear about your DS

[dormouse]

My DD had Roseola when she was about 18 months old. I was lucky that her temp didn't get high enough to cause febrile convulsion but it did spike at around 41 degrees & it was very scary.
She was very sick with a fever & lethargic for about 2 days & the doctors just told me to keep her cool & give her Panadol to reduce the fever.
A few days after her fever dropped she broke out in a rash & I took her to the ED where the doctor there told me she had Roseola. I had already looked it up in a book I have called 'What's That Rash?' & made my own diagnosis but still took her to the hospy just in case.

My niece & nephew have also had Roseola & as reAllytee said, it is very common in small children.

[Benji]

How scary for you

Thanks for the information.

I hope your little one feels better soon.

[Harlequin]

Ava had it but her temp never went too high that it was that much of a worry. I still took her to the dr but I suspected it was roseola.

Apparently the majority of kids get it and a lot of the time the parents don't even realise.

Sorry to hear about your ds LP Poor bubba.

[mz sv6]

i prob could of stopped him from have the temp n then the convulsion but i had just run out off panadol n nurofen that morning so i went up to the shops to buy some after DS woke up and i had just been back home about 10-15mins and DS then had the convulsion

[reAllytee]

i prob could of stopped him from have the temp n then the convulsion but i had just run out off panadol n nurofen that morning so i went up to the shops to buy some after DS woke up and i had just been back home about 10-15mins and DS then had the convulsion

Oh dont beat yourself up

Its always the case that we run out or the likes just when we need it the most !

You did the best you could & it wasnt like you just left him be either.

Just glad that he is ok

[Electric Rodeo]

i prob could of stopped him from have the temp n then the convulsion but i had just run out off panadol n nurofen that morning so i went up to the shops to buy some after DS woke up and i had just been back home about 10-15mins and DS then had the convulsion

It is an illness that hits so quickly it probably couldn't be avoided. Glad your DS is better now. My DS had roseola once and it scared the **** out of me. The fever hit him so suddenly it was like he was kinda paralysed, drooling and wimpering and shaking. It was very strange. So out of the blue. He got the rash a few days later.
Great info you posted, it is something alot of people haven't heard of.

[harvey123]

my dd has had two febrile convulsions, both just from fevers from viral illness. don't beat yourself up about whether you could prevent it by giving panadol....quite often you can't, they will still have the convulsion. dd's first convulsion was the first symptom of her being sick...apparently not uncommon. hope your son and you recovered from the whole ordeal ok. you sound like you handled it well..i was an absolute mess. take care.

[mz sv6]

when it first happened i didnt no what to do cause i ddnt no what was happening that was the first time i had ever seen i child have a convulsion but i did ring the ambos as soon as it start and they came didnt have a ambulance available so they sent on of there quick respone cars out and about 20 mins later the ambulance turned and then off to hospital we wen. DS is gettin better but still has a rash.