What Is Roseola?
Roseola (roe-zee-OH-lah) is a viral illness that most commonly affects kids between 6 months and 2 years old. It's also known as sixth disease, exanthem subitum, and roseola infantum.
It is usually marked by several days of high fever, followed by a distinctive rash just as the fever breaks.
What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Roseola?
Most children with roseola develop a high fever (often higher than 103°F or 39.5°C) that usually lasts 3–5 days. During this time, a child might be fussy or irritable, not eat as much as usual, and may have a sore throat and swollen lymph nodes (glands) in the neck. They also may have mild respiratory symptoms (like a runny nose or cough) or gastrointestinal symptoms (like diarrhea or vomiting).
The high fever often ends suddenly, and at about the same time a rash starts on the trunk before spreading to the neck, face, arms, or legs. On light skin, the rash can look like pink or red spots. On darker skin, it might be harder to see. It’s usually not itchy.
The fast-rising fever can trigger febrile seizures (convulsions caused by high fevers) in about 10% to 15% of young children who have roseola. Signs of a febrile seizure include:
- unconsciousness
- 2 to 3 minutes of jerking or twitching in the arms, legs, or face