Hand-foot-mouth syndrome is a highly contagious disease that occurs most frequently in children under 5 years of age, but can also occur in adults, and is caused by coxsackie viruses, which can be transmitted from person to person or contaminated food or objects.
Generally, the symptoms of hand-foot-mouth syndrome do not appear until 3 to 7 days after infection by the virus and include a fever above 38ºC, sore throat and poor appetite. Two days after the first symptoms appear, painful thrush appears in the mouth and painful blisters on the hands, feet and sometimes in the intimate region, which can itch.
The treatment of hand-foot-mouth syndrome should be guided by a pediatrician or general practitioner and can be done with medicines for fever, anti-inflammatories, medicines for itching and ointments for thrush, in order to relieve symptoms.
Main symptoms
Symptoms of hand-foot-mouth syndrome usually appear 3 to 7 days after infection with the virus and include:
- Fever above 38ºC; Sore throat; Too much salivation; Vomiting; Malaise; Diarrhea; Lack of appetite; Headache;
In addition, after about 2 to 3 days it is common for red spots or blisters to appear on the hands and feet, as well as canker sores in the mouth, which help in the diagnosis of the disease.
How to confirm the diagnosis
The diagnosis of hand-foot-mouth syndrome is made by the pediatrician or general practitioner through the evaluation of symptoms and spots.
Because of some symptoms, this syndrome can be confused with some diseases, such as herpangina, which is a viral disease in which the baby has mouth sores similar to herpes sores, or scarlet fever, in which the child has scattered red spots through the skin. Therefore, the doctor may request that additional laboratory tests be performed to close the diagnosis. Understand more about herpangina and learn what scarlet fever is and main symptoms.
How to get
The transmission of the hand-foot-mouth syndrome usually occurs through coughing, sneezing, saliva and direct contact with blisters that have burst or infected feces, especially during the first 7 days of the disease, but even after recovery, the virus still it can be passed through the stool for about 4 weeks.
So, to avoid catching the disease or avoid transmitting it to other children it is important:
- Do not be around other sick children; Do not share cutlery or objects that have come into contact with the mouth of children suspected of having the syndrome; Wash your hands after coughing, sneezing or whenever you need to touch your face.
In addition, the virus can be transmitted through contaminated objects or food. Therefore, it is important to wash food before consumption, change the baby's diaper with a glove and then wash your hands and wash your hands well after using the bathroom. See when and how to wash your hands properly.
How the treatment is done
The treatment of hand-foot-mouth syndrome should be guided by a pediatrician or general practitioner and can be done with fever remedies, such as Paracetamol, anti-inflammatories, such as Ibuprofen, itching remedies, such as antihistamines, gel for thrush, or lidocaine, for example.
The treatment lasts about 7 days and it is important that the child does not go to school or daycare during this period to avoid contaminating other children. Find out more details about the treatment of hand-foot-mouth syndrome.
