Diagnosis

The diagnosis of measles is primarily based on the patient’s appearance and description of the disease. Measles is characterized by two phases of the disease. The first phase is the catarrhal stage and includes fever, conjunctivitis of the eyes, rhinitis and a specific rash in the oral cavity.

This rash is called “Koplik’s stain”, which looks like calcareous splashes on the oral mucosa and cannot be wiped away. It only occurs in measles and thus facilitates diagnosis. After an intermediate defever, the phase of a large rash on the skin and increased fever follows.

This rash often starts behind the patient’s ears, which is also very specific for measles, and then spreads throughout the entire body. This sequence of symptoms is decisive for the diagnosis. In addition, if anything is unclear, the virus or the body’s own antibodies against the virus in the blood can also be shown.

Therapy of a measles disease

The treatment of a measles infection can only be carried out symptomatically, i.e. to improve the symptoms. Antipyretic drugs, such as paracetamol, ibuprofen and metamizole, are used for this purpose. In addition, cough suppressants and fluid can be administered via the vein to ease the patient’s illness and to prevent dangerous courses of the disease.

Only in the case of additional infections caused by bacteria should antibiotics be administered, which should be adapted to the pathogen. To avoid infection after contact with the virus, so-called immunoglobulins can be given to unvaccinated persons or those with immune deficiency within six days of contact. This measure can be discussed especially for infants and pregnant women.

How long does a measles disease last?

The duration of the measles disease can be very variable, always depending on how old and otherwise healthy the patient is. In most cases, the first phase of the disease lasts three to seven days. Non-specific cold symptoms play the most important role. After a short period of defibrillation, the rash follows, which begins to fade after four to five days. Taken together, the duration of the disease in measles can be assumed to be two to three weeks.