Roseola natural history, complications and prognosis

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Omodamola Aje B.Sc, M.D. [2]

The symptoms of roseola usually starts in the first 2 years of life of an infant. If roseola is left untreated, it will resolve by itself. In rare cases, febrile seizures, encephalitis, aseptic meningitis, thrombocytopenic purpura, bone marrow failure and pneumonitis. The overall prognosis of roseola is very good.

• The symptoms of roseola usually start in the first 2 years of life of an infant. It starts as a high fever 40ºC (104ºF) which lasts for 3 to 5 days, as the fever abates, the child develops a non pruritic blanching papular or maculopapular rash that starts on the neck and progresses downward.^[1]
• Roseola is a self limiting disease; if left untreated, it resolves without any sequelae.

Roseola is usually benign and self limited. However patients with HIV or immunosuppressed patients may experience reactivation of the virus and signs and symptoms such as:^[1]

• Seizures ( generally related to fever)
• Aseptic meningitis
• Encephalitis
• Thrombocytopenic purpura
• Bone marrow failure
• Pneumonitis

The prognosis of roseola is good even without treatment. It is a self limiting disease, most children recover without any sequelae.^[2][3]