Pityriasis Rosea Ringworm

Pityriasis rosea ringworm

       The chances of mistaking pityriasis rosea for ringworm are rather great, if you think about each of these skin conditions for a minute. The main thing that separates pityriasis rosea from ringworm is their cause. After all, pityriasis rosea is presumed to be a viral condition, while ringworm, despite its rather obvious name, is caused by a fungus.

        So, what makes them so easily mistook one for the other? Well, the answer is obvious: the skin lesions. At least to the untrained eye, the annoying pustules common to pityriasis rosea can be very similar to those round and shapely lesions that mark the existence of ringworm. To a trained specialist, these two lesions look nothing alike. However, to make perfectly sure that the patient suffers from either disease, alternative methods of diagnosis are employed. For example, the ringworm lesions are perfectly round and they can appear practically anywhere on the body, even on the soles of your feet and the tip of your nose.

        Also, the typical lesion is represented by two concentric circles that are clearly defined and visible. In the case of pityriasis rosea, the lesions are more soft and moist, obviously filled with some sort of liquid. Also, they are a different shade of red then the ringworm ones. Both of these diseases have as a symptom itching, but the pityriasis rosea one constant, while the ringworm one comes and goes.