ASYMMETRIC PERIFLEXURAL EXANTHEM OF CHILDHOOD AND VIRAL EXAMINATIONS

We report on an asymmetric maculopapular exanthem of early childhood. One hundred eighty seven patients (111 girls, 76 boys) were examined o ver a four-year period, mainly in winter and spring. The first skin le sions appeared on the trunk or in the large flexures of the limbs. The y spread centrifugally, often to the contralateral side, over two to f our weeks, and disappeared with slight itching and moderate desquamati on within another two to four weeks. Virologic studies were carried ou t in 34 cases; parainfluenzavirus 2, parainfluenzavirus 3, and adenovi ral infection were diagnosed in two patients each. The chances of a ca usal relation between the viral infection and the skin symptoms were s light; only an incidental connection is likely to exist between the sk in disorders and the viral infection.