Chest rash

[needanswers287]

I recently got a rash on my chest, below my nipple. It's a series of small raised red bumps (very close together) - maybe 12 -15. It's been a little over a week and they look to be fading a bit now. They're not painful, but can itch (although not all the time). I'm sexually active with multiple partners in the past few months, but always wear protection. I've done some research and keep seeing all these references to acute HIV and now I'm really nervous, especially considering during this outbreak, I got a sore throat that lasted about two days (now gone).

I'm really anxious now. In some ways I feel very confident because I haven't had unprotected sex. But I don't know what other explanation this rash could be. So I'm asking, what else could cause an "out of the blue" skin rash of this type?

[Ashwin Bhandari, MBBS]

It could just be a viral eruptive illness which causes fever and rashes but it is better to get yourself checked out by a physician to rule out some serious illness because of the signs you have missed and also get blood tests done to rule out HIV so that you are tension free. The rashes could be just another viral infection .
Wishing you well.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms it can be folliculitis skin, heat rash, sweat dermatitis or scabies bites. Keep the area clean and apply some topical antiseptics. Also wear loose-fitting cotton clothing and use an antibacterial soap or mild soap like dove. Avoid any kind of cosmetics. Topical antibiotics such as mupirocin or neomycin containing ointment and oral antihistaminics like Benadryl or Zyrtec are also useful for itching. In case the symptoms persist then oral antibiotics may be needed. Please consult a dermatologist in that case. If you are apprehensive about HIV then get a blood test done for HIV infection. Confirmation is only done by specific tests for HIV like western blot, PCR and ELISA. These tests may show accuracy after 6 weeks to 6 months as HIV antibodies take time to develop in the body.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.