Common Skin Diseases in Children: From Ringworm to Scabies

The following are four childhood skin diseases that are rather common. As always check with your doctor when dealing with these conditions. According to the http://medlineplus.gov/ and http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/md/index.html, these diseases, while uncomfortable, are usually not life threatening.

Hand-foot-mouth disease: (not related to foot (hoof) and mouth in animals.

This childhood skin disease appears suddenly and is a self-limiting viral disease. Hand-foot-mouth disease is highly contagious and spreads from child to child to adult by direct contact with nasal or oral and stool matter.

The incubation period is usually 3-6 days. Symptoms can be fever, sore throat, and loss of appetite, sore mouth, headache, cough, fatigue, and rash.

The mouth, tongue, gums, or throat start out with red areas. These red areas turn into blisters that can form lesions.

The arms and legs usually display red flat spots that also turn into blisters and then into lesions. Lesions on the hands and feet commonly show up on the sides and backs of fingers and toes. They may also be present on the palms and soles.

To keep this childhood skin disease under control and in preventive mode, wash hands frequently. Avoid contact with pregnant women.

Most cases of childhood hand-foot-mouth disease are said to rarely have complications, but when there are, this childhood skin disease can include inflammation of the heart and brain and pneumonia may set in. It is suspected of causing miscarriage in pregnant women.

You may want to keep children in if they have the hand-foot-mouth disease. Acetaminophen or ibuprofen for fever/pain may be warranted. (No aspirin for 12 and under.) And you may want to encourage the child with hand-foot-and mouth disease to drink plenty of fluids.

Check with your doctor on hand-foot-mouth disease and all childhood skin diseases.

Scabies:

Scabies is an itchy skin caused by tiny parasites called mites. This childhood skin disease is an "uncomfortable" one and it is extremely contagious.