Differences between children and adults | Ringed rubella skin rash

Differences between children and adults

Adolescents and adults seldom fall ill with ringworm, as they usually have built up immunity as children. If an infection does occur, the symptoms are somewhat different than in children:

• Teenagers usually do not have the typical garland-shaped rash, but a rash that only spreads to the hands and feet, the so-called glove-sock syndrome. The redness is also more punctiform and the vessels are more prominent in the affected areas.
• In adults, the typical rash is usually completely absent and other strongly pronounced symptoms occur instead.

  Young women, for example, often suffer from joint inflammation similar to rheumatoid arthritis. In general, the course of the disease is usually more severe in adulthood.

• The virus is particularly dangerous during pregnancy, as it is transmitted to the unborn child with a 33% probability. It can cause severe symptoms in the child, such as anemia, hydrops fetalis (10%), ascites, a drop in cardiac output and, especially between the 10th and 22nd week of pregnancy, it can lead to the death of the child (statistically seen at 9%).