A virus causes fifth disease. It often results in a red rash on the arms, legs, and cheeks. For this reason, it’s also known as “slapped cheek disease.” It’s fairly common and mild in most children, but it can be more severe for pregnant women or anyone with a compromised immune system.Most doctors advise their patients to wait out the symptoms because currently there’s no medication that will shorten the course of the disease. However, if you have a weakened immune system, your doctor may need to closely monitor you until the symptoms disappear.
Causes
Parvovirus B19 causes fifth disease. The virus tends to spread through saliva and respiratory secretions among children who are in elementary school. It’s most prevalent in the winter and spring, but it can spread at any time and among people of any age.
Many adults have antibodies that prevent them from developing fifth disease because of previous exposure during childhood. However, when people do become infected as adults, the symptoms can be severe. If you get fifth disease while pregnant, there are serious risks, including life-threatening anemia, for your unborn baby.For children with healthy immune systems, fifth disease is a common, mild illness that rarely presents lasting consequences.
Symptoms
The initial symptoms of fifth disease are very general. They often include:
- headache
- fatigue
- low-grade fever
- sore throat
- nausea
After a few days of having these symptoms, most young people develop a red rash that first appears on the cheeks. The rash often spreads to the arms, legs, and trunk of the body within a few days. The rash may last for weeks, but usually by the time you see it you’re no longer contagious.
The rash is more likely to appear in children than in adults with fifth disease. In fact, the main symptom adults usually experience is joint pain. The joint pain can last for several weeks and is usually most prominent in the wrists, ankles, and knees.
Diagnosis
Often, doctors can make the diagnosis just by looking at your skin rash. Your doctor may test you for specific antibodies if you’re likely to face serious consequences from fifth disease. This is especially the case if you’re pregnant or if you have a compromised immune system.
Treatment
For most healthy people, no treatment is necessary. If your joints hurt or you have a headache or fever, you may be advised to take acetaminophen (Tylenol) as needed to relieve these symptoms. Otherwise, you’ll need to wait for your body to fight off the virus, which usually takes one to three weeks.You can help the process along by drinking a lot of fluids and getting extra rest. Children can often return to school once the red rash appears since they’re no longer contagious.
Since fifth disease usually spreads from one person to another through airborne secretions, you should try to minimize contact with people who are sneezing, coughing, or blowing their noses. Washing your hands frequently can also help reduce the chances of contracting fifth disease. For a person with an intact immune system, once you’ve contracted this virus, you are considered immune for life.
