Which statement best describes roseola?

Which statement best describes roseola?

• A. Fever lasting weeks with a persistent trunk rash
• B. Rash that precedes fever
• C. Rash that is pruritic and widespread
• D. Occurs in children under 5 with high fever for 3-5 days, followed by a blanching trunk-back rash as fever resolves

Answer: (D)

The key idea is the classic pattern of roseola: a brief but high fever lasting a few days, followed abruptly by fever resolution and the eruption of a blanching, non-pruritic rash that starts on the trunk and then spreads outward. This timing and distribution are distinctive. The fever lasts about 3–5 days and the rash appears as the fever breaks, not before. The rash is typically on the trunk-first and fades within a day or two. Other descriptions don’t fit as well: rash that comes before fever is more typical of other illnesses, a pruritic and widespread rash isn’t characteristic of roseola, and a fever that lasts weeks with a persistent trunk rash doesn’t match the usual roseola course.

The key idea is the classic pattern of roseola: a brief but high fever lasting a few days, followed abruptly by fever resolution and the eruption of a blanching, non-pruritic rash that starts on the trunk and then spreads outward. This timing and distribution are distinctive. The fever lasts about 3–5 days and the rash appears as the fever breaks, not before. The rash is typically on the trunk-first and fades within a day or two.

Other descriptions don’t fit as well: rash that comes before fever is more typical of other illnesses, a pruritic and widespread rash isn’t characteristic of roseola, and a fever that lasts weeks with a persistent trunk rash doesn’t match the usual roseola course.