Introduction
A skin rash is a superficial change in the skin. In the technical terminology, the rash on the skin is also called “exanthema”. Depending on the cause of the rash, the appearance and accompanying symptoms vary.
Almost always it is a reddening of the affected skin area with overheating. The redness can be spotted, blotchy or conspicuous as a homogeneous area. In some cases, there are also wheals or pustules containing a secretion that can be clear, purulent, sterile or infectious.
Causes
The causes of skin rashes are numerous. Skin rashes are a superficially visible accompanying symptom of many diseases. They can be divided into infectious diseases, allergies and chronic skin diseases.
Infectious diseases that cause skin rashes are numerous and are caused by fungi, bacteria and to a large extent by viral pathogens. Many of these are among the childhood diseases that can be prevented by vaccination. These include measles, rubella and chickenpox.
These pathogens can also be contracted in adulthood. Other common infectious diseases with accompanying skin rashes are rubella, shingles, thrush, syphilis and many others. If there is no underlying pathogen-related disease, the rash may have been triggered by an allergic reaction.
The rash may be a symptom of a general systemic allergic reaction or may appear on the affected skin area as a result of a contact allergy. Thus, airborne particles and substances with which the skin comes into contact are possible causes of allergic reactions. Food, medication or sunlight can also cause allergies that are associated with skin rashes.
In addition, there is often severe itching of the affected areas and accompanying allergic symptoms. A variety of chronic skin diseases trigger skin rashes. Common representatives are psoriasis or neurodermatitis.
They occur for unexplained reasons. In the case of neurodermatitis, rashes of the skin with severe itching occur in phases. In many cases the disease disappears with the onset of adulthood. Treatment of chronic skin diseases is a lengthy process.
