Red spots on the arms and legs

The most common cause of spots on arms and legs is so-called eczema, i.e. inflammation of the skin accompanied by itching and red spots. There are various causes for these eczemas, for example, the drying of the skin due to low fluid intake and cold, dry air, especially in the winter months. Or the so-called nummular eczema, where coin-sized, as if punched out red spots appear on arms and legs and no clear cause could be found so far.

An allergy can also lead to red spots if a fragrance is not tolerated in detergents or creams. Another common reason for red spots on arms and legs is psoriasis, which occurs particularly on joints, scalp, back and stomach. If the red spots on arms and legs cause other symptoms such as headaches, fever or coughing, it may be due to an infection, for example due to a measles infection or another contagious disease. However, red spots on arms and legs and general symptoms can also occur when taking blood thinners, in internal diseases such as a lack of platelets or other disorders of blood clotting, which are rare overall.

Red spots on the arms of children

Particularly with children, caution is advised in case of suddenly appearing red spots on the arms, as many infectious childhood diseases are accompanied by a skin rash. In most cases, the rashes of childhood diseases occur in connection with other symptoms of the disease, such as fever, cough, cold and sore throat.The rash often starts at one point and is limited to one area, but then spreads further. Depending on the type of disease, the red spots look different and affect different parts of the body.

Spots on the arms can occur in scarlet fever, a disease caused by bacteria of the streptococcus group. The arms can also be affected by rubella and striped rubella in addition to the body trunk. These spots are caused by viruses, as are chickenpox, which affects the entire body, and measles, which is a very dangerous childhood disease.

There are vaccinations against most diseases, which are recommended for infants and children. But other causes can also cause red spots on the arms of children. For example, these can also be caused by an allergy. Neurodermatitis and skin fungus are also possible causes in children.