Is PR rare

First or all I am not a doctor and only a medical doctor can diagnose your rash, of course. It's my understanding that Pityriasis Rosea is fairly common, it's thought to be connected to viruses (possibly herpes viruses such as the common cold.)   I had a rash, went in to doctor, found out I was running a low grade fever which I didn't know I had, had felt OK except a couple of very slight dizzy moments. Didn't realize I had any kind of virus but maybe I did.  Blood work showed high monocytes (white blood cells that get elevated when you have mono?)  The Pityriasis Rosea rash is usually non-itchy and non painful, etc. It usually starts with a "herald" spot and then other spots, usually on the torso, especially the back. Mine looked like reddish finger prints around my ribs, with a few up toward armpits and a few down toward thighs. (If what I had was PR. They ruled out ringworm (a fungus, and did blood work).  The PR rash fades after a few weeks. But it's important to go to the doctor for blood work to rule out any serious illnesses that require treatment. Especially if you have a fever or other symptoms or if the rash persists. A rash after a cough or fever can be a sign of a more serious infection in the lungs or affecting the heart. Blood work should also rule out syphilis or anything serious like that. Syphilis is a very damaging progressive infectious disease that shows different symptoms at different stages with years in between with no symptoms. It has to be treated with antibiotics or else it continues to progress. At the secondary stage a rash may appear on the torso, legs or extremities, or lesions in the mouth, etc.) Of course other infectious illnesses can cause sores in the mouth, too. Get it checked out! Tick diseases such as Lyme can also causes rashes of course (they used to think it was always the bulls-eye shaped rash but now they know the rash may look different from that or you might not have a rash. I saw a study recently where they researched 80 people with confirmed Lyme disease and the majority of them never knew they had a tick bite and had not seen any rash. Lyme is also treatable with antibiotics, otherwise it can go on to cause arthritic problems, often in the hip or knee, etc. Now we are finding out about other tick diseases too, there's a new one where if you have it, then afterward you suddenly can't eat beef any more or some other meats, even if you used to always eat them. It's almost like the person develops an allergy.)  If your doctor doesn't want to order tests for something you are concerned about or want ruled out you can order blood tests yourself from a lab, you can find info online. Nutritional deficiencies can also causes rashes, skin lesions, etc. These can be caused by not eating the nutrients you need or not being able to absorb them due to antacids or other medications, or intestinal infections like H Pylori.)  Take a multivitamin every day and if you eat a restricted diet of any kind be sure to mention it to your doctor. You might require supplements. Also tell doctor if you take any medications or herbal medicines. Shingles rash is usually very uncomfortable. It can be prevented with the shingles vaccine (which I am about to get.)  Good luck to everyone! 

Thank you, Mert, for this thread. I was touched to read about your childhood. Not sure if it was you or someone else here who mentioned having had Lyme disease -- If you had Lyme at one time but are still having rashes I would have your doctor follow up on it, you may require more treatment to eradicate it. There is this other tick illness, too, not Lyme, but another one that we started seeing a couple years ago, that after people are infected, they develop an intolerance (almost like an allergy) to red meat or various protein foods. I believe that one can be diagnosed with blood tests also.  Good luck to you and good health! 

ps   Someone described an all over rash and very itchy. Doesn't sound like PR.  Could be an allergy, could even be something as simple as mites, or could be some other infectious illness. Good luck to everyone and best wishes.

PS.  That other new tick disease can be cured with antibiotics too, like Lyme.

P.S. Be sure you are eating plenty of vitamin C , too, everyone.

I think vitamin C deficiency causes mouth lesions, loss of taste buds/smooth tongue, and skin lesions, right?  (One cause, anyway.)    Was reading about bromism the other day, which can also cause skin lesions, used to be rare and caused by medications but now sometimes people get it from excessive soft drink consumption! (Bromides are an ingredient in soft drinks.)  

Again, nutritional deficiencies can be caused by absorption problems not only dietary deficiency. You have to have sufficient vitamins and also have to be able to absorb them (antacids, various meds can prevent absorption, so can some conditions such as H Pylori infection in the stomach/intestines, alcohol use can also cause nutritional deficiencies.)   B Vitamin deficiencies are notorious for causing skin conditions and also loss of taste buds. If  enough B vitamins are not absorbed, it eventually leads to neurological problems, mental problems, etc.   You don't want to take excess B vitamins either, just the right amount and have to be able to absorb them. Doctor can advise. People who consume regular alcohol, vegans, and people on antacids and some other medications, are at risk for not getting enough.