In a panic help !

[Aqueductswimming]

My 5 year old had an all over body rash that was also itchy around 2 weeks ago. No other symptoms of illness. Not even a fever or sore throat.
I took him to the GP after calling 111 and they told me it was most likely an allergic reaction. So I gave him an antihistamine and it seemed to help the itching a little, but the rash was still there.

A couple of days later he kept acting like his mouth was sore. Again no signs of being ill but stupidly I still didn’t put two and two together.

He had a rash around his mouth and when I spoke to GP she said it looked fungal and to treat with an anti fungal cream.

Now I’ve just realised his fingers are peeling and some other parts of his skin. Online it says that all these symptoms, particularly the peeling, point to Scarlett fever. Now I’m really worried that he’ll end up with rheumatic fever or another complication as he didn’t have antibiotics - is there anything I can do at this point? I’m in such a panic and kicking myself.

It's well worth talking to your GP (and at least getting it recorded).

This may have been a form of scarlet fever but you are describing a child who is now well. From my understanding of the various streptococcal syndromes, the strains that can trigger scarlet fever in the susceptible rarely if at all overlap with the strains that can produce the serious post-infective complications of rheumatic fever or nephritis. So if he is recovered and well in himself, the skin peeling is just a reaction to whatever caused the initial rash.

I've got vague thoughts in the back of my head about other things that could cause this kind of pattern - so I wouldn't be surprised if your GP puts this together and gives you some other suggestion for what might have been going on. Especially with no history of a fever.

My background is medical but I've been mainly out of practice for a long time. However, just after I stopped working my eldest, then 3, got scarlet fever - early on when it was starting to come round again so we didn't immediately recognise it. She was unlucky and ended up seriously unwell and in hospital for nearly 3 weeks. She didn't have a period of being well then unwell again. And not only recovered fully but is currently a fit and healthy university student.

I hope this reassures you that you have looked after your child quite appropriately and I hope he is entirely back to normal soon.

Exact same scenario with my daughter 20 years ago. She made a full recovery and has no related issues at all. Antibiotics are a precaution but not taking them doesn't mean the illness will cause damage. In the majority of cases, it goes away on its own like most children illnesses.

Now the palms of his hands are all peeling 🙁

Is it too late for antibiotics now?

I keep reading about Kawasaki disease - but he didn’t have a fever, is it likely? I don’t know what to do, because apart from the peeling of the skin on his palms he’s fine in himself.

Could it be hand, foot and mouth?

Children with Kawasaki are typically really miserable with it, as well as running a persistent temperature. I can understand why you are worried by this, getting a further GP review would be appropriate, but should also allow them to reassure you I would expect.

Sounds like hand foot and mouth, hands/nails nearly always peel after getting that

I thought the same, certainly sounds like it

His hands look like this. His feet are similar, particularly the toes.

He’s totally fine in himself. He hasn’t even had a fever this whole time.

It looks like when you get PVA glue stuck to your hands

No medical experience here, and definitely no experience of scarlet fever. However. I get allergic reactions sometimes which present as a rash, then a few days later my skin peels and flakes off where I've had the rash. Also, my dad gets allergic dermatitis and that causes the skin on his palms to peel.

Found this on the NHS site:

The rash usually fades after about a week, but the outer layers of skin, usually on the hands and feet, may peel for several weeks afterwards.
In milder cases, sometimes called scarlatina, the rash may be the only symptom.

So it could have been scarletina as he didn’t have any other symptoms.

Exactly the same with my son, he had no other symptoms, other than a lethargic and wanted more cuddles but didn't think anything of it. Later that day we noticed a rash coming up on his feet, then his hands. A few days after, the skin on his hands and soles of his feet looked just like this. It was hand foot and mouth and he was absolutely fine

@Worried8263839 Thanks, hoping it was that and not Scarlett fever or scarletina as worried about rheumatic fever.

The fact he had an all over body rash a few weeks ago makes me think it was Scarlett fever but because of the lack of other symptoms the medical staff didn’t pick up on it.