A 7-year-old child develops malaise, cough, coryza, and conjunctivitis with a high fever. Prior to this illness he was completely healthy. Further questioning reveals that he has not received any childhood vaccinations because of his parents’ religious beliefs. Examination of his mouth reveals blue white spots on a red base beside his second molars. The next day he develops an erythematous, nonpruritic, maculopapular rash at his hairline and behind his ears, which spreads over his body. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?
Correct Answer: measles (rubeola)
Description: This is a typical case of measles. The Koplik spots in the mouth are easily missed with poor illumination. They are white-blue spots of 1 mm on a red background and are not seen in any other infectious disease. The rash of measles becomes confluent while that of rubella does not. Pneumonia is an infrequent complication but accounts for many measles deaths. Giant cell pneumonia is also seen, most commonly in children suffering with a severe disease such as leukemia or immunodeficiency. Treatment for most patients is supportive care. The other potentially lethal complication of measles is encephalitis. The Koplick spots help differentiate this illness from rubella, and the distribution of the rash rules out infection from coxsackievirus.
Category:
Medicine
Get More
Subject Mock Tests
Practice with over 200,000 questions from various medical subjects and improve your knowledge.
Attempt a mock test nowMock Exam
Take an exam with 100 random questions selected from all subjects to test your knowledge.
Coming SoonGet More
Subject Mock Tests
Try practicing mock tests with over 200,000 questions from various medical subjects.
Attempt a mock test now