Vipele kwa Watoto

NaDeborah M. Consolini, MD, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Imepitiwa/Imerekebishwa Nov 2022

A rash is an abnormal change in the texture or color of the skin.

    • Known causes of rashes include irritation, allergies, drugs, and bacterial, fungal, or viral infections.

    • Rashes include redness, white or yellow scales, and pearly pimples, bumps, or cysts.

    • Rashes may itch, be irritating or painful, or cause no symptoms.

    • Rashes that require treatment can be helped by gentle cleansers, moisturizing ointments, antibiotic or corticosteroid ointments, and/or anti-itch drugs.

    Rashes in infants and young children are not usually serious and can have various causes. Irritating substances, drugs, allergic reactions, and disorders that cause inflammation can cause a rash.

    Some common causes of rashes in infants and young children include the following:

    Vipele kutokana na nepi (dematitisi ya nepi)

    Diaper rash is a bright red rash that usually develops when the infant's skin comes in contact with a diaper that is soiled by urine, stool, or both. The moisture on the infant's skin causes irritation. Typically, the areas of the skin that touch the diaper are most affected.

    Diaper Rash Caused by Irritation
    Ficha Maelezo
    This photo shows an infant's irritated skin. The irritation occurs because the infant's skin comes in contact with a diaper soiled with urine and stool.
    © Springer Science+Business Media

    Diaper rash can also be caused by infection with the fungus Candida, typically causing a bright red rash in the creases of the skin and small red spots. Less often, diaper rash is caused by bacteria.

    Upele wa Nepi Unaosababishwa na Kandida
    Ficha Maelezo
    Picha hii inaonyesha upele uliosababishwa na chachu ya Kandida.
    Picha kwa hisani ya Thomas Habif, MD.

    Breastfed babies tend to have fewer diaper rashes because their stools contain fewer enzymes and other substances that can irritate the skin.

    Diaper rash does not always bother the child. It can be prevented or minimized by using diapers that are made with an absorbent gel, by avoiding restrictive plastic diapers or pants that trap moisture, and by frequently changing diapers when they are soiled.

    The main treatment of diaper rash is to frequently remove or change the child's diapers. The child's skin should be washed gently with mild soap and water. Often the rash clears up with these measures alone. Use of a skin moisturizer and an ointment that creates a barrier between the child's skin and the diaper, such as zinc, petroleum jelly, or vitamin A and D ointment, may help. Antifungal cream may be necessary if the doctor diagnoses a Candida infection. Antibiotic cream can be used if the rash is caused by bacteria.

    Kofia ya utoto ()

    Cradle cap is a red and yellow, scaling, crusty rash that occurs on an infant's head. A similar rash can occur occasionally in the infant's skinfolds. The cause is not known. Cradle cap is harmless and disappears in most children by 6 months of age.

    Cradle cap can be treated by regularly shampooing with selenium sulfide shampoo and massaging mineral oil into the scalp to help loosen the crust before shampooing. The crust may be worked off with a fine comb. Cradle cap that does not get better with these measures may need further treatment, such as corticosteroid creams.

    Cradle Cap (Seborrheic Dermatitis)
    Ficha Maelezo
    This photo shows the thick, yellow, crusted scalp rash of cradle cap.
    Biophoto Associates/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

    (ukurutu)

    Atopic dermatitis is a red, scaly, and itchy rash. The rash tends to appear in patches that come and go, often worsening with cold, dry weather. Infants tend to develop red, oozing, crusted rashes on the face, scalp, diaper area, hands, arms, feet, or legs. Older children tend to develop one or a few spots, usually on the hands, upper arms, in front of the elbows, or behind the knees.

    Atopic dermatitis tends to run in families and in many cases is thought to be due to a gene variation that affects the skin's ability to retain moisture and provide protection against bacteria, irritants, allergens, and environmental factors. This weak skin barrier function likely also triggers the immune response that leads to the inflamed skin and itch. Most children outgrow atopic dermatitis, but for others it is a life-long condition. Children with severe cases may intermittently develop infections in areas where they have scratched and torn the skin.

    Treatment of atopic dermatitis includes use of skin moisturizers, gentle soaps, humidified air, corticosteroid creams, and anti-itch drugs. Efforts to avoid triggers of a child's allergies may help alleviate the condition.

    Ukurutu (Mkali)
    Ficha Maelezo
    Ukurutu kwa kawaida huwa unaanza mtoto akiwa mchanga. Katika hatua za awali (kali), upele unaonekana usoni kisha unaenea kwenye shingo, ngozi ya kichwa, mikono na miguu.
    Picha kwa hisani ya Thomas Habif, MD.

    Maambukizi ya virusi ambayo husababisha upele

    Viral infections often cause rashes in young children. Rashes caused by roseola infantum and erythema infectiosum (fifth disease) are harmless and usually go away without treatment. Rashes caused by measles, rubella, and chickenpox are less common because children receive vaccines that prevent these infections, but they may occur in unvaccinated children.

    Rash Caused by Roseola Infantum
    Ficha Maelezo
    This photo shows the flat, red rash caused by roseola infantum.
    SCOTT CAMAZINE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
    Rash Caused by Erythema Infectiosum
    Ficha Maelezo
    This photo shows the "slapped-cheek" appearance of the rash on the cheeks caused by erythema infectiosum.
    John Kaprielian/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

    Sababu zingine za vipele

    Dermatophytoses (also called ringworm or tinea) are fungal infections of the skin. In children, infections of the scalp (tinea capitis) and body (tinea corporis) are most common.

    The diagnosis and treatment of dermatophytoses are the same in children and adults and typically includes antifungal drugs applied to the skin or taken by mouth. Some children have an inflammatory reaction to the fungal infection that leads to a painful, inflamed, swollen patch on the scalp called a kerion. A kerion may require additional treatment.

    Ringworm
    Ficha Maelezo
    This image shows the fungal skin infection ringworm on the neck and upper back of a 13-year-old boy. Ringworm in this area of the body is known as tinea corporis.
    DR P. MARAZZI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

    Molluscum contagiosum is a cluster of flesh-colored pearly pimples or bumps caused by a viral skin infection that usually disappears without treatment. However, the virus that causes this infection is contagious.

    Molaskam Kontagiosam kwenye Uso wa Mtoto
    Ficha Maelezo
    Picha inaonyesha uvimbe wa molaskam kontagiosam.
    © Springer Science+Business Media

    Milia are small pearly cysts on the face of newborns. They are caused by the first secretions of the child's sweat glands. Like newborn acne, milia require no treatment and disappear a few weeks after birth.

    Milia
    Ficha Maelezo
    This photo shows small, cream-colored cysts commonly seen on the face of newborns.
    SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY