Saturday, July 30, 2011

Skin Rash in Pregnancy - Herpes Gestationis

Skin rash is defined as a condition of skin change of the color and appearance and can be localized or affected the whole body. Skin rashes during pregnancy can be normal or abnormal, in some cases it can have a negative health affects to the mother and fetus. If you are experience certain itching with or without rash, please consult with your doctor as soon as possible.
There are some common types of skin rash in pregnancy, including

Herpes Gestationis
1. Herpes Gestationis, a rare disease, mostly begins between 9 weeks’ gestation and 1 week postpartum, is a intensely pruritic bullous autoimmune disease with intensive itching, urticated lesions develop initially in the periumbillical region adjacent to the navel and tends to recur in successive pregnancies. The disease is not viral infection herpes simplex related.

2. Symptoms
a. Intensive itching
b. Persistently, it lasts several weeks, but it may persist many months after childbirth.
c. The rash mostly starts in the 21 weeks of gestation.
d. It appears in many forms such as raised dots or bumps, fluid-filled blisters, etc.
e. Eruption can cause spreading (abdomen to the thighs, the extremities, palms, soles, etc.)
f. Etc.

3. Causes and risk factors
a. Autoimmune diseases
In a study of Herpes gestationis autoantibodies recognize a 180-kD human epidermal antigen by L H Morrison, R S Labib, J J Zone, L A Diaz, G J Anhalt, researchers concluded that the study provides a first biochemically characterization of the antigen recognized by autoantibodies in the putative of autoimmune diseases, Herpes Gestationis.
b. Recurrence in successive pregnancies
c. As a result of elevating of certain hormone, including estrogen
d. etc.

4. Treatments
Since the disease can result in necrosis and kidney damage to the mother and the health of fetus if left untreated, Early diagnosis and treatment can reduce the risks of complications to the mother and prevent the baby was born prematurely. Depending to the degree of the affect areas, topical steroid creams can be used in mild cases. For more severe disease, high doses of Corticosteroids can get the disease under control quickly. In some women, Higher dose of Corticosteroids may be necessary to prevent the rash flaring after childbirth.
In a study of mmunopathological and clinical studies in herpes gestationis by Foidart JM, Yaar M, Hall R, Gaspard U, Katz SI., the researcher concluded that We were unable to detect this antibody in the placental basement membranes of a patient with herpes gestationis, nor could we demonstrate that the anti-basement membrane antibody, found in the sera of herpes gestationis patients, binds to homologous or autologous placentas and fetal membranes.
In other study of Fetal risks in herpes gestationis by Jeff K. Shornick MD and Martin M. Black MD. Researchers conclude that Herpes gestationis is associated with an increase in prematurity and small-forgestational-age infants. Supported by a bequest from the Walter Freudenthal Trust for Dermatological Research.

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1 comment:

  1. Although it will not be easy to cure skin rash itching by using some external creams and gels, if it is caused due to some disease, but you cannot complete ignore using such medicines that can help reducing irritation and smoothen the skin.

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