[Exanthema as a main symptom in the febrile child].

Distinguishing in febrile children between harmless rashes and those, which require specific action, is a common problem in pediatric primary care. Major exanthematous diseases necessitating emergency hospitalization include invasive meningococcal disease and rarely gram-negative septicaemia caused by other pathogens, staphylococcal and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, endocarditis, fever and rash in travellers returning from tropical countries and drug hypersensitivity syndrome. Therapeutic intervention is also necessary in patients with scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, varicella in postpuberal and immunocompromised individuals, in Kawasaki's disease, in Still's disease and in other non-infectious, inflammatory diseases (e.g., familial mediterranean fever). Finally, various specific measures need to be taken in reportable diseases, erythema infectiosum (parvovirus B19), primary HIV infection and in Henoch-Schölein purpura.