OVERVIEW
This page is dedicated to organizing various examples of standardized exam questions whose answer is scarlet fever. While this may seem a odd practice, it is useful to see multiple examples of how scarlet fever will be characterized on standardized exams (namely the boards and the shelf exams). This page is not meant to be used as a tradition question bank (as all of the answers will be the same), however seeing the classic “test” characterization for a disease is quite valuable.
QUESTION EXAMPLES
Question # 1
A 9 year od girl is brought to the clinic because she is suffering from a headache, fever, chills, and a rash. The rash covers her neck, chest, and under her armpits. The parents explain that the rash appeared today, and that for the past two days the patient had been complaining of a sore throat. The child has no allergies, her immunizations are all up to date, and she has no other past medical history. Her blood pressure is 115/70 mm Hg, pulse is 110/min, respirations are 22/min, and temperature is 101.2°F. A physical exam reveals a generalized erythematous rash that has a sandpaper-like texture, and it will also blanch when pressure is applied. The patient also has submandibular lymphadenopathy, and the throat is covered in gray-white exudates. What is the likely diagnosis?
Explanation: history of sore throat + sand paper rash + exudates in throat = scarlet fever
Page Updated: 11.21.2016