Rose fever is an infection of the skin. It is most common to get the infection on the legs, but you can also get it on other parts of the body. Rose fever is caused by bacteria and treated with antibiotics.
You can get the disease more than once. Rose fever does not infect normal social contacts, such as greeting someone or sitting next to someone.
Symptoms of rose fever
Common symptoms of rose fever are the following:
- You get a redness that spreads quickly. It can be several decimeters large. The redness is intense and has a clear edge.
- It hurts and becomes swollen in the infected area.
- You get a fever.
You may also feel sick and vomit.
The symptoms develop within one or several days.
When and where should I seek care?
If you think you have a rose fever, contact a health care center or an on-call reception immediately. If closed, seek care at an emergency room.
Treatment of rose fever
It can alleviate the application of compresses soaked in a sole solution.
It may feel good to rest an infected leg while sitting, for example, on a footstool.
You will be given antibiotics in tablet form if you do not have such major problems. You may need to be hospitalized to get antibiotics directly into your bloodstream with drip if you have a high fever and are exhausted.
Sometimes the risk of rose fever is increased
The risk of getting a rose fever is increased by any of the following:
- You are swollen in one leg or arm, which causes the blood circulation in the skin to deteriorate. For example, it may be because you have a leg ulcer or have had a blood clot in one leg. The arm may be swollen after breast cancer surgery.
- You have wounds or cracks in your skin. Contacting skin-to-skin with a person who has a rose fever can get infected if you have small sores or cracks, but this is unusual.
Can I prevent rose fever?
It is important to care for the skin if you have easy to get a rose fever, for example, if you have had leg ulcers for a long time. Here are some tips on what you can do:
- Lubricate the skin with a softening cream. The cream makes the skin soft and supple, reducing the risk of small cracks.
- Wash small wounds carefully. Protect them with bandages.
Influence and participate in your care
You can seek care at any medical center or open specialist clinic you want throughout the country. Sometimes a referral to the open specialized care is required.