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Roseola infantum (exanthem subitum or sixth disease) is a common illness of infancy that is characterized by a high fever in a child who otherwise appears well followed by a rash after the fever subsides. The causative agent was recently identified as human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6). These authors conducted the first large-scale study of the clinical features of roseola in 176 children with virologically confirmed disease.
Patients ranged in age from 3 weeks to 18 months, with a peak age of onset of 6 to 7 months. Ninety-four percent of cases occurred within the first year of life. Only 14% of patients had a prodrome of listlessness or irritability. Fever occurred in 98% (average, 39.4°C) and generally lasted 4 days. Rash appeared within 24 hour…