Pink, flat, or slightly raised bumps around 2 to 3 mm in diameter are typical of roseola (sixth disease).
Pink, flat, or slightly raised bumps around 2 to 3 mm in diameter are typical of roseola (sixth disease).
In roseola (sixth disease), the rash is pink to red and is typically widespread.
In roseola (sixth disease), the rash is pink to red and is typically widespread.
This image displays the rash of roseola (sixth disease) that follows a high fever.
This image displays the rash of roseola (sixth disease) that follows a high fever.
This image displays the bright pink rash typical of roseola (sixth disease).
This image displays the bright pink rash typical of roseola (sixth disease).

Images of Roseola (Sixth Disease) (4)

Pink, flat, or slightly raised bumps around 2 to 3 mm in diameter are typical of roseola (sixth disease).
In roseola (sixth disease), the rash is pink to red and is typically widespread.
This image displays the rash of roseola (sixth disease) that follows a high fever.
This image displays the bright pink rash typical of roseola (sixth disease).

Roseola (Sixth Disease)

Roseola, commonly known as sixth disease, is a mild viral illness that mainly affects children. Roseola is caused by viruses in the herpes family of viruses. Infected children have a high fever for about 4 days followed by a rash as the fever goes down. The rash usually lasts 1-2 days, or it may go away more quickly.



Who's At Risk?

Roseola commonly occurs in young children aged 6 months to 1 year. Maternal antibodies (proteins from the mother’s immune system that protect against infection) typically protect the child from getting roseola before the age of 6 months. Roseola can occur in children as young as age 3 months, though, or as old as 4 years.

Signs & Symptoms

The child will seem otherwise well but will have a high fever of 102°F (38.9°C) for about 4 days, followed by a widespread rash of 2-3 mm macules (small, flat, smooth areas) and papules (small, solid bumps). The rash often begins on the torso and then may spread to the neck as well as the arms and legs. In lighter skin colors, the rash is pink or red. In darker skin colors, the redness may be harder to see, or it may appear as a faint pink, dark red, or purple color.

Self-Care Guidelines

Roseola goes away without any treatment. While waiting for the symptoms to improve, you can:

  • Help reduce the child’s fever with acetaminophen (Children’s Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Children’s Motrin) and cool sponge baths. (Do not use very cold water, ice, or alcohol rubs.)
  • Encourage the child to drink fluids to avoid dehydration.

Note that there is no way to prevent roseola from spreading because it is contagious before any symptoms appear.

Treatments

Although there is no specific treatment for roseola, your child’s medical professional may recommend treatment of associated symptoms, such as controlling fever.

Visit Urgency

  • Call the child’s medical professional if their fever does not go down with acetaminophen / ibuprofen, if the fever is over 102°F (38.9°C), if the child is difficult to wake up, or if the child is very irritable or appears very ill.
  • If the child has convulsions or seizures due to fever, seek urgent medical care.

Trusted Links

References

Bolognia J, Schaffer JV, Cerroni L. Dermatology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018.

James WD, Elston D, Treat JR, Rosenbach MA. Andrew’s Diseases of the Skin. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019.

Kang S, Amagai M, Bruckner AL, et al. Fitzpatrick’s Dermatology. 9th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education; 2019.

Paller A, Mancini A. Paller and Mancini: Hurwitz Clinical Pediatric Dermatology. 6th ed. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2022.

Disease Groups: Childhood Contagious Diseases

Last modified on June 18th, 2024 at 1:39 pm

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