Slapped Cheek Syndrome

Slapped cheek syndrome is the common name of a disease medically called erythema infectiosum. It is called slapped cheek syndrome because the children suffering from this disease show rosy slapped-like cheeks. It may appear on one or both sides of a kid’s face.

It is the fifth of five common child diseases that cause similar skin rashes (measles, rubella, scarlet fever, Filatov-Dukes disease and slapped cheek syndrome). It is an infection caused by a virus that belongs to the parvovirus group, and usually occurs in small outbreaks. It is not considered a severe disease, but special care should be taken by pregnant women and people with hemolytic anemias.

Causes Of Slapped Cheek Syndrome

Slapped cheek syndrome is an infection produced by the action of the parvovirus B19 virus. It spreads from person to person by close contact, coughs, sneezes and mouth or nose fluids interchange. For this reason it is rapidly spread within schools and nurseries. The immune system can build antibodies for this skin disease. This is why slapped cheek syndrome affects mostly children, being extremely rare in adults.

Symptoms Of Slapped Cheek Syndrome

Slapped cheek syndrome is characterized by a rash that resembles the mark of a slap on one or both cheeks. This rash will rapidly spread down the body and then disappear by itself.

Some children experience pains in the joints, fever and a general sensation of discomfort and illness. Temperature changes can produce visible changes in the symptoms shown. For this reason it is not uncommon to observe fever coming in and out as the environmental temperature varies.

On people with one of the blood diseases known as hemolytic anemias, the presence of slapped cheek syndrome may suddenly worsen their anemic condition. If a pregnant woman gets infected during the early stages of pregnancy, the virus may cause a miscarriage. Unless other skin diseases, however, slapped cheek syndrome does not produce abnormalities on the babies.

Treatment Of Slapped Cheek Syndrome

Slapped cheek syndrome will most of the times disappear by itself. If fever and aches are present, analgesics are usually prescribed. Remarkably, creams, ointments and lotions will not help the rash.

Prevention Of Slapped Cheek Syndrome

The risk of getting slapped cheek syndrome is reduced by normal hygiene practices like regular hand and face washing. Avoiding contact with children that show the slapped cheek rash will not necessarily reduce the risk of catching the virus, because by the time the condition becomes apparent it is no longer infectious.

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