A skin rash (exanthema) can have various causes and manifestations. Some of these conditions are not accompanied by pronounced itching, which distinguishes them from other skin diseases. There are also a number of diseases which, among other symptoms, cause a skin rash that is not always accompanied by itching. It is important to note that each person affected can react differently to the respective disease. For example, a person with the same disease may experience severe itching in one person, whereas this is not perceived so strongly in another person with the same disease.
Causes
The causes of a skin rash that is not accompanied by itching or with little itching can be very different. Thus, the respective causes of rashes can be divided into different categories. They can be of an infectious nature, i.e. caused by a certain pathogen, or induced by medication, or they can occur due to a toxic or allergic reaction.
Skin rashes can also be triggered by exposure to sunlight. Infectious diseases in particular can cause a rash that is not necessarily accompanied by itching. For example, the rash associated with measles is typically not associated with itching.
Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by a virus and usually affects children. Due to extensive vaccinations in many parts of the world, the disease has become rare in Europe. In 2013, for example, there were 1769 documented cases of measles in Germany.
A typical symptom of measles is a skin rash, which usually appears on the 12th to 13th day of the disease and begins on the face and oral mucosa and then spreads from there throughout the body. The rash usually recedes after about 5 days and does not cause itching. You can find more information on this topic under: Is my rash contagious?
Colonization of the skin with a certain fungus (Malassezia furfur) can cause a rash called seborrheic eczema. This rash is caused by the fungus loosening skin scales and the skin underneath is reddened. The hairline and nostrils are usually affected by the disease.
Especially children and persons of the male sex are affected by a colonization of the skin with this fungus. A skin rash can also develop as a result of taking certain medications. Especially antibiotics, certain painkillers, and medications for epilepsy are known for the possibility of such a reaction occurring.
Depending on the severity of the reaction, such a rash need not be accompanied by itching. Another disease that typically causes a non-itching rash is called Systemic Lupus Erythematodes (SLE). This autoimmune disease is associated with a rash known as “butterfly erythema” because of its form.
It develops on the face and extends over the nostrils of the affected person. Typically, however, the rash does not itch and disappears completely under therapy. There may also be redness in other areas of the skin as a sign of the inflammatory reaction affecting the whole body, which is not usually itchy either.
A further infectious disease associated with a typical rash is an infection with certain bacteria, the borrelia bacteria. Infection is usually caused by a tick bite (another rash, usually without or with little itching, is a rash resulting from infection with HIV. Thus, among other symptoms, a rash on the skin appears in about 50-70% of infected persons about 1-4 weeks after infection with the virus.
Skin rashes of other causes are also typical for an infection with HIV, as the immune system of the affected persons is considerably weakened. Especially fungi can multiply on the skin and cause a rash. The skin as an organ visible from the outside reacts very sensitively to changes in the hormone balance.
The slightest fluctuations in this balance, as can be triggered by stress and strain, lead to changes in the function of all organs, whereby the changes in the skin are visible to us from the outside. However, the expression is quite different. While some affected persons react with pimples and impure skin, others get an unspecific rash.
This rash can appear on all parts of the body and can take on different forms and dimensions. Often an itching can be missing.After a stressful period the rash disappears relatively quickly. Otherwise the rash caused by stress can only be treated symptomatically, e.g. by applying a rich cream in case of dryness.
Whether a person gets a rash due to stress at all is individually genetically determined. Thus, many people in physical or mental stress situations do not get rashes but other symptoms such as abdominal pain. According to the definition, a rash is an extensive, mostly uniform change of the skin in response to an immunological reaction of the body.
Due to the increased blood circulation in the affected areas, the skin appears red at the sites of the rash. In most diseases that can cause a rash that is not accompanied by itching, the rash is only part of the symptoms. Thus, the symptoms can vary greatly depending on the cause of the rash.
In acute infectious diseases, for example, a general feeling of illness and fever are usually in the foreground in addition to the rash that appears. A burning sensation or pain in the affected skin areas can also occur with different clinical pictures. In the case of a rash of unknown cause, a doctor should always be consulted for clarification, even if no itching emanates from the affected areas.
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