Convalescent Rash of Dengue

This case features a 23-year-old woman who presented with an itchy, nonblanching, maculopapular erythematous rash on her arms, legs, and trunk one day after recovering from 4 days of dengue symptoms (fever, chills, myalgias, nausea, retro-orbital headache). The palms and soles were spared, and there were no petechiae or bruising. Laboratory testing revealed leukopenia with lymphopenia, and dengue NS1 rapid test and IgM serology were positive, confirming dengue fever. The rash, described as “islands in a sea of red”, is characteristic of the convalescent phase of dengue. No treatment was necessary beyond reassurance, and the rash resolved spontaneously within 3 days.

This case features a 23-year-old woman who presented with an itchy, nonblanching, maculopapular erythematous rash on her arms, legs, and trunk one day after recovering from 4 days of dengue symptoms (fever, chills, myalgias, nausea, retro-orbital headache). The palms and soles were spared, and there were no petechiae or bruising. Laboratory testing revealed leukopenia with lymphopenia, and dengue NS1 rapid test and IgM serology were positive, confirming dengue fever. The rash, described as “islands in a sea of red”, is characteristic of the convalescent phase of dengue. No treatment was necessary beyond reassurance, and the rash resolved spontaneously within 3 days.