Editor's Note:
The Case Challenge series includes difficult-to-diagnose conditions, some of which are not frequently encountered by most clinicians but are nonetheless important to recognize accurately. Test your diagnostic and treatment skills using the following patient scenario and corresponding questions. If you have a case that you would like to suggest for a future Case Challenge, please contact us.
Background
A 17-year-old male high school student presents to the pediatric infectious disease clinic with a 10-day history of a facial rash that is not improving (Figures 1-2).
Figure 1.
Figure 2.
The patient had previously visited his primary care provider (PCP), who started the patient on amoxicillin-clavulanic acid 8 days ago. The rash did not improve on the antibiotic, and as a result, it was discontinued and the patient switched to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. No improvement was noted with the second round of antibiotic therapy; the rash continued to spread, and the lesions increased in number. The patient was subsequently advised to follow up with the infectious disease clinic.
At the infectious disease clinic, the patient states that the rash started with several pimples over the forehead and cheek and then continued to spread and involve most of the right side of his face. The lesions are not itchy, but they are painful. The patient has no known drug allergies. His immunizations are up to date. He is very active on the wrestling team and was happily preparing for an upcoming competition. The patient denies having any weight loss, headaches, dizziness, photophobia, fever, or chills. The family history is noncontributory.
Medscape © 2010 WebMD, LLC
Cite this: Faisal M Mawri, Nida Yousef, Ammar Alhmood, et. al. A Puzzling Facial Rash on a 17-Year-Old Boy - Medscape - Jan 07, 2010.
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