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Child Diagnosed With Moluscum Bumps On Armpits, Neck And Eyelid. Developed Burst Blood Vessel In Eye. Suggest?
Posted on
Thu, 25 Apr 2013
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Thu, 25 Apr 2013
Answered on
Fri, 17 May 2013
Last reviewed on
Question : Hi, my nearly 4 year old was diagnosed with having a few moluscum bumps on her armpits, neck and on her eyelid. The Dr didn't prescribe anything for it at the time, but did freeze a couple of them off with dry ice. The ones on her eyelids (there are two on the same eye) are in amongst her eye lashes, and one has just popped. Ive been keeping it washed with a salt water solution to keep it clean. Often though for the last couple of months her eyes are a bit dry, red and scaly under the eyes.....it doesn't seem to bother her, but looks nasty. Her eyes don't weep and aren't inflamed at all. No yesterday she has developed a little red speck of blood like a burst blood vessel in the white of the same eye. I live in a very dry, hot desert climate.....theres a lot of trachoma here too, I'm not hysterically worried, but health care here is pretty basic, what do you think.....is molluscum around the eyes a real concern....I was told by the doctor she will grow out of it as her immune system catches up to it....
Dear patient,
Thanks for your health concerns. Molluscum is caused by a virus, a poxvirus, and as the name indicates, it is contagious by direct contact. (contagiousum). In childern, they tend to present in non-genital areas, while in adults it is seen in the genital region usually as a sexually transmited disease; the immune system eventually destroys the viral organims and takes care of the lesion, but it can take a while, up to several months.
One of the tricky issues with kids, particulary with facial lesions, is self innoculation, meaning that touching the lesions can transmit it to other body sites, or to others. Contact hygiene is going to be very important.
Active treatments in feasible areas as you mention include cryotherapy (cold freeze), curetage (with a small spoon and local anesthesia remove the lesion) and in some cases, topical antiviral ointments such as Imiquimod.
Hope this helps with your query, wish you and your 4-year old the best health,
Dr Brenes-Salazar
Mayo Clinic Rochester
Thanks for your health concerns. Molluscum is caused by a virus, a poxvirus, and as the name indicates, it is contagious by direct contact. (contagiousum). In childern, they tend to present in non-genital areas, while in adults it is seen in the genital region usually as a sexually transmited disease; the immune system eventually destroys the viral organims and takes care of the lesion, but it can take a while, up to several months.
One of the tricky issues with kids, particulary with facial lesions, is self innoculation, meaning that touching the lesions can transmit it to other body sites, or to others. Contact hygiene is going to be very important.
Active treatments in feasible areas as you mention include cryotherapy (cold freeze), curetage (with a small spoon and local anesthesia remove the lesion) and in some cases, topical antiviral ointments such as Imiquimod.
Hope this helps with your query, wish you and your 4-year old the best health,
Dr Brenes-Salazar
Mayo Clinic Rochester
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Mohammed Kappan
Answered by
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