Characteristics of hand, foot, and mouth disease rash

Written by Yao Li Qin
Pediatrics
Updated on September 17, 2024
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Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a rash disease caused by an intestinal virus infection, characterized by scattered maculopapular and vesicular rashes on the hands, feet, buttocks, and other areas. Typically, small vesicles appear on the oral mucosa, or they may already have ruptured into shallow ulcers, primarily located on the tongue, buccal mucosa, palate, and inner lips. Subsequently, rashes appear on the hands and feet, most commonly as maculopapules, which then develop into vesiculopapules about three to seven millimeters in size. The vesicles have a relatively thick covering and are surrounded by reddened skin, predominantly located at the extremities. Sometimes, they may extend to the arms, legs, buttocks, or perineal area. The distribution of the rash is centrifugal, with the number of lesions varying from a few to dozens. Generally, the lesions absorb on their own within two to three days without desquamation, scarring, or pigmentation. The vesicles and ulcers in the mouth mostly heal on their own within a week.

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Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
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How long should hand, foot, and mouth disease be isolated?

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is an infectious disease caused by enterovirus infection. There are more than 20 common types of enteroviruses, with Coxsackievirus A16 and Enterovirus 71 being the most common. The main clinical symptoms include fever, mouth pain, loss of appetite, and small blisters or ulcers on the hands, feet, and mouth. Most affected children can heal on their own in about a week, so ordinary cases can be isolated for about a week until all the rashes have crusted over and disappeared. However, for severe cases, the isolation period should be extended appropriately, possibly lasting 10-14 days, or even longer.

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Written by Yao Li Qin
Pediatrics
1min 17sec home-news-image

Characteristics of hand, foot, and mouth disease rash

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a rash disease caused by an intestinal virus infection, characterized by scattered maculopapular and vesicular rashes on the hands, feet, buttocks, and other areas. Typically, small vesicles appear on the oral mucosa, or they may already have ruptured into shallow ulcers, primarily located on the tongue, buccal mucosa, palate, and inner lips. Subsequently, rashes appear on the hands and feet, most commonly as maculopapules, which then develop into vesiculopapules about three to seven millimeters in size. The vesicles have a relatively thick covering and are surrounded by reddened skin, predominantly located at the extremities. Sometimes, they may extend to the arms, legs, buttocks, or perineal area. The distribution of the rash is centrifugal, with the number of lesions varying from a few to dozens. Generally, the lesions absorb on their own within two to three days without desquamation, scarring, or pigmentation. The vesicles and ulcers in the mouth mostly heal on their own within a week.

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Written by Yao Li Qin
Pediatrics
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Does hand, foot, and mouth disease cause fever?

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a contagious childhood exanthem caused by an intestinal virus infection. The primary symptoms of most hand, foot, and mouth diseases include fever, followed by rashes on the hands, feet, mouth, and buttocks, as well as vesicles in the throat. However, not all children with the disease necessarily experience continuous fever or any fever at all. Some only show symptoms after coming into contact with an infected person, with rashes on the hands, feet, mouth, and buttocks, and vesicles in the throat. In such cases, it is still considered hand, foot, and mouth disease, and fever is not a requisite for diagnosis. Thus, the presence of fever should not be solely relied upon for diagnosing the disease.

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Written by Li Jiao Yan
Neonatology
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Initial symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a contagious disease caused by viral infection, which is common in infants and toddlers, especially those under the age of three. The main symptoms include fever, accompanied by maculopapular rashes or vesicles on the hands, feet, mouth, and buttocks. Some initial symptoms are similar to having a cough, runny nose, headache, mouth pain, or sore throat. Sometimes there may be drooling; consequently, babies might drink less milk, and there can be nausea and vomiting. Additionally, some children may experience nausea and diarrhea along with other gastrointestinal symptoms. Another major sign is the presence of vesicles in the hands, feet, and mouth, or maculopapular rashes on the buttocks.

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Written by Yao Li Qin
Pediatrics
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Hand, foot, and mouth disease transmission routes

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is caused by an intestinal virus infection, characterized by a rash of scattered maculopapular and vesicular lesions on the hands, feet, mouth, and buttocks. Generally, the prognosis is good. The disease is quite contagious, primarily spreading through the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, and close contact. Therefore, during peak seasons of hand, foot, and mouth disease, children should stay at home and avoid crowded places and playing with children who have the disease. The highest incidence of this disease is among children under three years old, so it is essential to pay attention to the prevention and health care of infants. If a child in kindergarten is found to have the disease, they should rest at home and not return to the kindergarten immediately.