Forum Babbles

5th or 6th disease?

8 replies

AnonymousGuest ·
Hi everyone,

I know you're not doctors, but maybe you've experienced this with your own kids.

My daughter has had a fever since Thursday night, which went up to 40.5°C. It lasted until Monday morning and then suddenly stopped. On Sunday, a few bumps appeared on her tummy, and by Monday there were a lot more.
We went to the GP on Monday, and he said it's fifth disease. Naturally, I panicked because I'm 17 weeks pregnant. I've had blood tests done to check if I have antibodies.

But looking back, I've done some research, and in my opinion, it can't be fifth disease.
Her symptoms match sixth disease perfectly.

Google says briefly this: The difference between the fifth and the sixth disease is that the fifth disease starts with red spots and has few other symptoms, while the sixth disease starts with a few days of high fever, after which the spots appear.

The doctor insisted it was fifth disease because he didn't think my daughter looked sick enough. Apparently, kids with sixth disease are very sick. But she was also very sick and had very high fever. But the GP kept insisting...

Also, my daughter is just turning 1, and sixth disease fits her age group better, whereas fifth disease usually occurs between 4 and 10 years. Sixth disease is between 6 months and 3 years.

What do you think?
Again, I know you're not doctors, but I feel my GP jumped to conclusions a bit quickly?

Replies

  1. Jo Guest #2

    Hi!
    My son also had the 5th or 6th illness. It's hard to tell the difference. So my GP wasn't sure which one it was back then. He was 2 years old at the time.
    So I think it's good that you got tested. Just to be sure.
    Good luck with it!

  2. Anonymous Guest #3

    Hey Jo,

    Yeah, I find it so strange that they can determine it so easily.
    Because it has a different course if you read it like that. But we'll wait for the result properly.

    It's just really hard for me because I've already lost a baby around 20 weeks pregnant and I'm terrified of having an increased chance of losing another one..

  3. Jo Guest #4

    I completely understand. I know how it feels. Unfortunately, there's really nothing to do but wait. Strength to you.

  4. Floor Guest #5

    I think it's sixth disease. My son had the same thing: first a few days of high fever, then it suddenly went away and spots appeared all over his body. He wasn't really bothered by them, except that he wasn't in the best mood. Quieter and more like a cat watching from a tree. They don't really need to be super sick from it.

  5. Anonymous Guest #6

    Thanks for your reply, Floor.
    Yes, my daughter also didn’t have any issues with the spots, but during the fever the days before, she was really sick. Vomiting and diarrhea, and then the fever. Once the fever went away, the spots appeared and she was okay again, just a bit clingy.

    I’m still waiting for the rash to show up.

  6. Anonymous Guest #7

    What's the difference? Fifth disease is dangerous for you because of your pregnancy, but sixth isn't?

  7. Anonymous Guest #8

    Yes, that's right. The 5th disease is dangerous during pregnancy, but the 6th isn't.
    So it definitely matters to me.

  8. Anonymous Guest #9

    You’ve had yourself tested, that’s all you can do.

    Stay calm, breathe, and enjoy.

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