differential diagnosis

Last reviewed 01/2018

This includes measles and rubella.

  • measles
    • catarrhal stage where there may be cough, coryza; also may be conjunctivitis and the presence of Koplik spots
    • exanthematous stage - occurs 3 to 5 days later; initial rash behind the ears and then on the body; maculopapular rash that becomes confluent; fading by third day
  • rubella
    • headache
    • pink macular rash, which may be absent in young children. It appears one or two days after the start of the illness, fading within four days, leaving neither staining or desquamation
    • fever
    • cervical lymphadenopathy - especially post-auricular and sub-occipital nodes
    • grittiness of eyes and suffusion of conjunctivae