Q. My 5-year-old son gets recurrent skin rashes with itching and mild fever. Please suggest remedy.

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

From your description and photographs (attachment removed to protect patient identity), it looks like your son has hives or urticaria. It can be due to allergy or viral infections or can occur without any obvious reason. Did the doctor you consulted before see him face to face and confirm it as hives or urticaria?

Usually, these rashes are itchy and resolve in one to two days, but new lesions can occur in surrounding areas of the skin for several days to weeks. Your son has been prescribed the right medicines. Usually, urticaria gets better in a few days, but sometimes it can last for a longer period. So medicines need to be continued for a longer period.

Kindly answer these further questions for clarification. Did your son's rashes and itching settle completely when he took the medicines for nine days? You said your son had similar rashes last year. How long did it last at that time? Is your son otherwise active and playful? Is he eating and drinking well? Is he sleeping well? At any time, did he develop rashes or swelling in his tongue and mouth? Did he develop any difficulty in swallowing or breathing?

Following are my suggestions:

I suggest you continue syrup Cetirizine one teaspoon at night time for another week or two. It is an antihistamine and will help to control new rashes. Apply Calamine lotion three times daily. It will help to control itching. No need to repeat Bendex syrup (Albendazole) again. It is for treating worms and can be given once a year or so. No need to repeat the Dexamethasone tablet for now. But if rashes do not settle or become severe, may need to be given for another five days. If fever is there, give Paracetamol syrup one teaspoon, two or three times a day. Avoid giving Brufen (Ibuprofen). Avoid fish, eggs, nuts, and chocolates for some weeks until the rashes resolve completely. Avoid hot water baths, use lukewarm water for baths. Use loose-fitting cotton clothes only.

Important note:

If the rashes become severely itching or cause eye redness, conjunctivitis, or eye swelling, or the child has difficulty in breathing or swallowing, the voice becomes coarse, then you need to take him to the hospital immediately. Also, if there is persistent high fever, joint pain or swelling, stomach pain, or vomiting, you need to take to the hospital immediately. Generally, these lesions will disappear and reappear and may take time to fully resolve. So if the child is otherwise well, do not worry. But if these rashes are persistent and severe, you may need to consult a dermatologist. He may need further examination and investigations to prevent the recurrence of these rashes.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

Thank you for providing the additional details. It looks like urticaria. Continue Cetrizine syrup and calamine lotion for another ten days. Also, follow the rest of the advice and recommendations mentioned earlier. If your kid develops a high fever, worsening rash, joint pain, abdominal pain, or becomes unwell, then take him to the hospital for a face-to-face assessment. Otherwise, the rashes should settle with medication.

Hope this addressed your concern.

Take care.

Same symptoms doesn’t mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Suresh Kumar G D

Experience: 20 + Yrs

Pediatrics

---

Related Questions:
I developed a rash after getting a massage. What to do?

Some abrasions could have occurred during the massage, and subsequent rubbing of skin over skin could have raised those bumps ... If rashes are increasing, then you   Read full

Can Paracetamol, antibiotics, and Cetirizine be taken with pregnancy medicines?

.. is having sore throat problem and cause is acute pharyngitis case. You can give her Levocetirizine 5 mg OD for five days. For throat pain, Paracetamol 500 mg SOS can be prescribed. Also, give her vitamin C 500 mg tablet BD for five days.   Read full

Can I take Cetirizine and Paracetamol for fever?

.. that you have the fever. You can use Paracetamol. You can take it up to three times a day and can stop if your temperature comes down. Now, coming to Cetirizine, it is used for allergy, cold, etc. If you are having a flu type of fever, that is, fever   Read full