Treatment

Since scarlet fever in adults often does not progress in a textbook fashion, but the symptoms are weaker, if not absent, in some cases the diagnosis is very difficult to make. If the classic symptoms, which often accompany the clinical picture, cannot be found, the diagnosis can still be made by detecting the pathogen in the throat, for example. If it is the streptococcus bacterium, antibiotic therapy should be started immediately, with penicillin as the agent of choice.

In most cases, the medication is given for 7 days. The antibiotic treatment can also shorten the time a patient is contagious. It also reduces the length of time the symptoms occur.

It also helps to prevent late effects and complications, which is why the antibiotic should be given urgently in scarlet fever. To treat fever, antipyretic drugs such as paracetamol, ibuprofen or aspirin can be taken. The administration of nasal drops also has an alleviating effect, and the swollen pharyngeal tonsils obstruct the throat and make swallowing and breathing more difficult, so cortisone can be given to reduce swelling.

Scarlet treatment

Antibiotics, such as penicillin or erythromycin in the case of an allergy to penicillin, are essential for the treatment of scarlet fever, as this is the only way to avoid late effects and complications. The reliable detection of the disease by an experienced physician or the detection of the pathogen in a patient sample can rule out viral tonsillitis with a high probability.Antibiotics only help with bacterial infections and should not be given if a virus triggers the disease, as they are not effective in this case and only promote side effects or the development of antibiotic resistance. There are also some home remedies and simple methods to relieve the symptoms of scarlet fever.

It is important that the patient pays attention to a sufficient fluid intake. Warm tea, lozenges, hot water with lemon juice and honey, inhalations with table salt, calf compresses against fever or curd compresses against sore throat can be used as home remedies. This does not mean, however, that antibiotic therapy may be dispensed with – not only is the course of the disease itself shortened by an antibiotic. More importantly, it prevents serious complications following the illness.