Differential Diagnosis for Blanching Skin and Fever
Single Most Likely Diagnosis
- Viral Exanthem: A viral infection causing a rash, which can lead to blanching skin and is often accompanied by fever. This is a common presentation in various viral illnesses.
Other Likely Diagnoses
- Bacterial Infection: Such as streptococcal or staphylococcal infections, which can cause skin manifestations like blanching due to toxins or direct invasion, along with fever.
- Allergic Reaction: An allergic reaction could cause skin changes, including blanching, especially if it involves anaphylaxis or a severe allergic response, often accompanied by fever.
- Autoimmune Disorders: Conditions like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis can cause skin manifestations, including blanching, due to vasculitis or other mechanisms, along with systemic symptoms like fever.
Do Not Miss Diagnoses
- Meningococcemia: A severe, life-threatening infection caused by Neisseria meningitidis, which can present with fever, rash (that may initially blanch), and rapidly progresses to a non-blanching purpura. Early recognition is crucial for survival.
- Toxic Shock Syndrome: Caused by bacterial toxins, this condition presents with fever, rash, and can have skin manifestations that may initially blanch, along with other systemic signs of shock.
- Septicemia: Bacteremia leading to sepsis can cause a variety of skin signs, including blanching, due to the body's inflammatory response to the infection, along with fever.
Rare Diagnoses
- Kawasaki Disease: An acute febrile illness of childhood characterized by inflammation in the walls of medium-sized arteries throughout the body, which can cause skin manifestations, including blanching, along with fever.
- Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: A group of disorders that affect connective tissues supporting the skin, bones, blood vessels, and many other organs and tissues, which can lead to skin hyperextensibility and possibly blanching, though fever is not a primary symptom.
- Raynaud's Phenomenon: A condition that affects blood flow to the fingers and toes, and sometimes the ears, nose, and lips, when exposed to cold or stress, causing them to turn white (blanching) due to the lack of blood flow, but it is not typically associated with fever.