|
Thursday, 20 August 2009 02:24 |
|
I had a recent patient from Waxhaw with a rash that had been itching him for days. He was diagnosed with a fungal infection and had been put on an oral anti-fungal which cost him hundreds of dollars. He got more and more lesions by the and then happened to see my ad. This man was in a minor frenzy of itch and was unable to sleep. He estimated that he had 100 lesions on the trunk and I would say 150 having a better look at his back than he had. He had the classic christmas tree rash pattern of pityriasis rosea that few patients develop. Happily the trreatment brought quick relief and the diagnosis reassured him that he wasn't dying from "a flesh eating bacteria".
Since his visit I have seen patients from Ballantyne, Eastover, Myers Park, South Charlotte, Pineville, Steele Creek, Fort Mill, Matthews, Monroe, Rock Hill, and other locations in York county with this viral eruption. No one has ever given the odds of getting this rash, but if a thousands people are exposed to this harmless virus, why do so few have this skin reaction. The genetics and immune response that lead to this and many other skin and systemic disorders is far from clear. When a Mom asks why only one of her kids has this rash and not the others, I have no good answer. "Bad Luck" is about the best I can come up with. The good news is that the rash is harmless and almost nobody gets this rash twice. There are those few that do get it repeatedly and will walk into your office and tell you what they have, how many times they've had it, and what works to clear them up. They usually have come to terms with this happening once or twice a year, but they still want to know why. So do I. |
