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Symptoms » Hemorrhagic rash » Diagnosis Checklist
 
Dr. Huntley's

DIAGNOSIS CHECKLIST
for Hemorrhagic rash

Questions Your Doctor May Ask - and Why!

During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in his assesment of the symptom: Hemorrhagic rash. These may include a physical examination or other medical tests. Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information you can share with your doctor may help them with their diagnosis.

Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:

  1. When did you first notice the hemorrhagic rash?
  2. Is the rash truly hemorrhagic?

    Why: One of the main examples of a hemorrhagic rash is the meningococcal rash from meningococcal disease (specifically the.

  3. Type called meningococcal septicemia). The meningococcal rash has certain particular characteristics. It often starts out looking like lots of tiny blood spots under the skin. These spots will increase over time as more under-skin bleeding occurs. Gradually, the spots become bruises, and eventually become large red-purple areas of obvious bleeding. One of the main tests of the meningococcal rash is that it does not fade under pressure. In other words, the skin does not turn whiter or go paler under pressure. Unfortunately, this is not always true in the early stages of the rash, so the rash needs to be assessed regularly to avoid a misdiagnosis in the early stages. The pressure test involves pressing on the rash to see whether it fades. One convenient way is to press on the rash with a clear see-through drinking glass, to see through the glass how the rash
  4. Responds. Whereas most rashes from allergies or viral infections
  5. Will fade, the meningococcal rash does not fade (except in early
  6. Stages of the disease)
  7. Infectious contacts?

    Why: any known contacts with meningococcal disease.

  8. Risk factors for meningococcal septicemia?

    Why: e.g. absence of spleen, alcoholic, complement immune deficiency, highest incidence in children aged 6 months to 1 year, highest incidence in midwinter and early spring.

  9. Recent history of mosquito or tick bite?

    Why: may suggest one of the hemorrhagic fevers due to arbovirus' transmitted by mosquito or tick bites including Yellow fever, Dengue hemorrhagic fever, tick-borne hemorrhagic fevers.

  10. Travel history?

    Why: e.g. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a disease of children and occurs almost exclusively in South East Asia; Yellow fever is a disease confined to Africa and South America.

Questions your doctor may ask about related symptoms:

Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse your condition. These may include:

  1. Symptoms of meningococcal septicemia?

    Why: e.g. may start with cough, headache, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and then progress to spiking fevers, chills, aching joints and muscles. Later drowsiness, hemorrhagic rash most commonly on trunk and extremities but can be anywhere, and low blood pressure. May have stiff neck and dislike for light.

  2. Symptoms of Dengue hemorrhagic fever?

    Why: e.g. disease has a mild start often with symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection (runny nose, cough, sore throat). This is then followed by an abrupt onset of hemorrhage into the skin and ear, bleeding nose, vomiting blood and passing black tarry stools (melena).


 » Next page: Types of Hemorrhagic rash

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