RINGWORM |
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DESCRIPTIONRingworm is a fungus (tinea) infection of the skin. This is transmitted by person-to-person contact or by contact with infected surfaces, such as towels, shoes, or shower stalls. The scalp (tinea capitis), skin (tinea corporis), groin skin (tinea cruris), nails (tinea unguium), feet (tinea pedis), and skin with beard (tinea barbae) are involved. Ringworm can affect both sexes but is more common in males.
Appropriate health care includes:
Self-care after diagnosis.
Physician's monitoring of general condition and medications.
SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
Lesions that itch (sometimes) and have the following characteristics:
On the scalp, lesions cause patchy hair loss and scaling scalp.
On the body skin, lesions are red, circular, flat, and scaling, and have well-defined borders.
On the bearded area of the face, lesions cause an itchy, scaling rash.
On the feet: see Athlete's Foot in the Illnesses section.
On the nails: see Paronychia and Nails, Ringworm Infection of, in the Illnesses section.
CAUSES
Fungus infection with one or more of 5 different fungi.
RISK FACTORS
Diabetes mellitus.
Exposure to darkness, moisture, and warmth.
Crowded or unsanitary living conditions.
PREVENTING COMPLICATIONS OR RECURRENCEThe fungi are so prevalent that total prevention is impossible. To minimize risk your child should:
Avoid continuous exposure to overheated humid environments.
Avoid contact with pets that have skin problems.
BASIC INFORMATION
MEDICAL TESTS
Your own observation of symptoms.
Medical history and physical exam by a doctor.
Microscopic exam of skin scrapings in potassium hydroxide solution.
Laboratory culture of skin scrapings.
Examination with ultraviolet light (Wood's lamp) for ringworm on the scalp.
POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONSSecondary bacterial infection of ringworm lesions.
PROBABLE OUTCOME
Usually curable in 6 weeks with treatment, but recurrence is common. Ringworm becomes chronic in 20% of cases.
TREATMENT
HOME CAREFor ringworm on the child's body:
Boil or chemically sterilize all clothing, towels, or bed linens that have touched the lesions.
Keep the child's skin dry. Moist areas favor fungus growth.
The child should wear cotton underwear, which should be changed more than once a day. Don't let the child wear tight clothes.
If the area is red, swollen, and weeping, use compresses made of 1 teaspoon salt to 1 pint water. Apply 4 times a day for 2 to 3 days before starting the local anti-fungal medication.
For ringworm of the child's scalp:
Shampoo the hair every day.
Have the hair cut short, but don't shave the child's scalp. Place large sheets of paper under and around the hair and chair to catch all the clippings. Place a cloth drape around the child's shoulders, chest, and back. The child should not wear street clothes for a haircut but instead should wear something that can be sterilized, such as pajamas, a housecoat, or a smock. Repeat this procedure every 2 weeks, or whenever the hair grows back.
MEDICATION
Your doctor may prescribe oral or topical anti-fungal drugs.
See Medications section for information regarding medicines your doctor may prescribe.
ACTIVITY
No restrictions.
DIET & FLUIDS
No special diet.
OK TO GO TO SCHOOL?Yes, if the school allows.
CALL YOUR DOCTOR IF
Your child has symptoms of ringworm.
Ringworm lesions become redder, painful, and ooze pus.
Symptoms don't improve in 3 or 4 weeks, despite treatment.
New, unexplained symptoms develop. Drugs used in treatment may produce side effects.
GENERAL INFORMATION
DESCRIPTION
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is an acute illness with fever caused by a germ transmitted by infected ticks. This is not contagious from person to person. The skin, the central nervous system--including the brain, the coverings of the brain (meninges), and the spinal cord -- and peripheral nerves, as well as the gastrointestinal tract and muscles are involved.
Appropriate health care includes:
Physician's monitoring of general condition and medications. This may be a medical emergency.
Home care during convalescence.
SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
The following occur 2 to 5 days after a tick bite:
Fever up to 105F (40.6C) with chills.
Red skin rash that begins on hands and feet and spreads to ankles, wrists, legs, trunk, and abdomen.
Headache.
Muscle aches and weakness; stiff back.
Nausea and vomiting.
Mental confusion; coma.
CAUSES
Rickettsia germs that live inside ticks. People are infected through tick bites, usually in the spring or summer. Rickettsia also infect rodents, squirrels, and chipmunks. The disease occurs in all states of the U.S., especially on the Eastern seaboard from Georgia to Maryland, and in heavy brush areas, such as Long Island.
RISK FACTORS
Outdoor activities in tick-infested areas.
PREVENTING COMPLICATIONS OR RECURRENCE
Urge your child to wear protective clothing in tick-infested areas, and to use insect repellant.
During outdoor activity, carefully inspect the child's body frequently to remove ticks. Don't crush them during removal--the whole tick must be removed. Hold a lighted cigarette near the tick, or apply gasoline, kerosene, or oil to the tick's body. Pull it off with tweezers.
BASIC INFORMATION
MEDICAL TESTS
Your own observation of symptoms.
Medical history and physical exam by a doctor.
Laboratory studies, such as blood counts and serological tests (See Glossary).
POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONSRocky Mountain spotted fever is often fatal if untreated.
PROBABLE OUTCOME
Curable if antibiotic treatment is begun in the early stages.
TREATMENT
HOME CARENo specific instructions except those listed under other headings.
MEDICATION
Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics, such as tetracycline or chloramphenicol.
See Medications section for information regarding medicines your doctor may prescribe.
ACTIVITY
Your child should rest in bed until the fever and other symptoms disappear. Reading or watching TV are acceptable activities.
DIET & FLUIDS
No special diet.
OK TO GO TO SCHOOL?When appetite has returned and alertness, strength, and feeling of well-being will allow.
CALL YOUR DOCTOR IF
Your child has symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
New, unexplained symptoms develop. Drugs used in treatment may produce side effects.
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