Introduction
During pregnancy, the fear of an infection is often very great in expectant mothers. Expectant mothers often ask themselves the question whether an illness can damage their unborn child. Some diseases, such as rubella, for example, are clarified in routine preventive examinations if immunity is lacking.
Scarlet fever is not one of them. Scarlet fever is a typical childhood disease that almost everyone goes through at least once in their life. Most people are familiar with scarlet fever, especially because of the painful tonsillitis and the typical fine spotted rash.
Nowadays, thanks to the antibiotic penicillin available, it is easily treatable, so that secondary diseases and complications in industrialized countries are almost non-existent. Pregnant women can of course also fall ill with scarlet fever. However, unlike syphilis, for example, this infection does not pose a direct risk to the child’s development.
Nevertheless, a pregnant woman with scarlet fever should be cared for more intensively than non-pregnant women. Because especially secondary diseases of scarlet fever, which often affect the heart and kidneys, can endanger the pregnant woman and the well-being of the unborn child. However, scarlet fever does not cause malformations in the child.
Causes
Scarlet fever is a general disease caused by specific bacteria. These bacteria are called group A streptococci. Strictly speaking, special toxins, bacterial toxins, cause the scarlet fever and lead to an immune response in the body of the affected person.
This manifests itself in the typical fine-spotted, red skin rash (the infection is usually transmitted by coughing and sneezing and is highly contagious. Pregnant women are therefore at risk of becoming infected, especially when they come into contact with small children. Contact with people with symptoms such as coughing, sore throat, fever or a feeling of illness should be avoided during pregnancy. Avoiding community facilities such as schools, kindergartens or other places with a lot of people is also recommended.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of scarlet fever in pregnant women is usually made as a so-called gaze diagnosis. This means that the doctor can determine that it is scarlet fever based on the symptoms. Further examinations are usually not necessary. If the symptoms are not clear, a rapid test against Group A Streptococcus can be performed.