Severe skin rash on a child. Please no stupid answer?

Question

This is very serious. My friend has a 2 year old boy and he got some kind of skin rash before Christmas, it's like his skin was falling off. He saw a bunch of doctors and they can't seem to find what it is. It went away, and now it's back. Again the doctors are trying to find what it is but they don't know. It's all over his body and his face and his genitals are swollen beyond what i've ever seen. They've never been out of the country or things like that, so it's not something he could of cought outside the country. That little boy is in extreme pain, if anyone has any idea, or had something similar happen to them or someone they know, please help. Thanks

Just want to add that it's not mono they did all the tests for that and it came back negative every time.
Thanks guys

Answer 1

you need to check and see if it might be a spider bite.. My friend was bitten by a brown recluse, and it took a couple of months to find out that's what it was.

Answer 2

The possible causes mentioned above are very likely, especially contact dermatitis (which would cause swelling). However, you MUST get your child's pediatrician to rule out meningococcal infection (are there very DARK RED spots that don't "fade" when you put pressure on them?) If so, get your child to the ER NOW!!! This could be life threatening. (has he been tested for this?)

If your son has had chicken pox (which can happen w/no symptoms), he may have shingles, which is a rash caused by the virus becoming active again (it never leaves the body, but usually lies dormant w/no symptoms).

For more information, see the site below. Staph infection also comes to mind, but there are so many other causes of rashes in children, including common viruses, that he should be tested thoroughly!

According to the site below, some other possible diseases with these symptoms are:

* Actinic keratosis
* Acute kidney failure
* Acute rheumatic fever
* African Sleeping sickness
* Alkalosis
* Allergies
* Alveolar Hydatid Disease
* Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
* Anal fissure
* Anal itching
* Anaphylaxis
* Angelman syndrome
* Arthritis
* Athlete's foot
* Atrophic vaginitis
* Autoimmune Hepatitis
* Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome
* Autoimmune Thrombocytopenia
* BXO

Don't panic, this is just to show how many possibilities there are. Doctors need to continue testing 'til they find out what it is. People here can give ideas, but only actual tests will give you the final answer...AND treatment! Good luck!

Answer 3

This sounds like a condition that called erythroderma or exfoliative dermatitis. It is not a common condition. There are several suspected causes, but in most cases, the cause is unknown. There really isn't any treatment to stop the condition, but the pain may be relieved with steroids such as prednidsone. More info at this link:

Answer 4

My friend's son had a horrible red rash all over his body when he had mono. And approximately two years ago, I got mono as well and I had a very light red rash on my legs and my arms.

Take the boy to a pediatrician and request they draw a small amount of blood and do a "mono panel". Mono also caused me to feel rundown, migrane headaches, some joint pain and swollen lymph nodes.

Good luck.

Answer 5

there are many instances where a rash is diagnosed improperly, because they cannot find the causative factors. my guess would be liver disease. is it possible the mother has hcv and maternally passed it on?
have the doctors do an actual antibody test for hepatitis c. the alt and ast levels may appear within normal limits on a standard liver lab. this happens quite often in those with hcv, leaving the doctor clueless as to what might cause symptoms associated with hcv.

Answer 6

Have they checked into contact dermatitis? That is when you are allergic to something that your skin comes in contact with.Examples could be bath soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, laundry softener agents. If the rash comes when she uses a product that is new to the child it could be a severe reaction to something new that the child is allergic to.

Answer 7

always get lots of different opinions from different practitioners. it sounds like reactions to skin contact or allergic reaction to something ingested or even a bite as the previous person has stated. food, contact or bite. do get more opinions and test from different doctors.