Patient's question:
7 years old, a few days ago, there was a blister-like thing at the tip of the right index finger, but the adults didn't pay attention. Today, another blister-like thing appeared on the right index finger, and there's also a blister-like thing on the big toe of the foot. It's extremely painful, and the child is crying and unable to sleep at night. Hello doctor, this is about the hands...Doctor's answer:
Disease is also known as exanthematous stomatitis, which is an acute infectious disease caused by enteroviruses. It can be contracted through daily contact with patients of hand, foot, and mouth disease or by drinking water contaminated with industrial waste. After onset, patients generally recover within one to two weeks without leaving any sequelae, although a very small number of cases may develop complications such as encephalitis or aseptic meningitis.Medical Advice: Based on your description, there is a possibility of hand, foot, and mouth disease. Check if other children around have similar symptoms. If so, it should be highly suspected. The specific clinical symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease can be summarized as follows:
Hand, foot, and mouth disease can occur in all four seasons, with higher prevalence in summer and autumn. Initially, symptoms resemble upper respiratory infections, such as fever, cough, runny nose, and drooling. Some children may also experience nausea and vomiting. Later, oval or spindle-shaped vesicles appear on the back of the hands and feet, with a red rim and clear fluid. The long axis of the vesicles aligns with skin creases. The vesicles then become concave, turn yellow, dry, and peel off. Additionally, scattered hard, pale red papules or vesicles may appear on the fingertips and toes. Inside the mouth, vesicles may also appear on the lips, tongue, oral mucosa, and gums, but they rupture quickly to form grayish-white spots or a grayish-white film, surrounded by a red rim. Under the film, you may observe pinpoint or patchy erosions.
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is caused by viral infection, with the source being vesicular fluid, throat secretions, and feces. It can also spread through contaminated hands, toys, and utensils. The incubation period is 3–8 days.
Care and Management: Currently, there is no highly effective treatment for this disease, but the following measures can help alleviate symptoms:
1. Take antiviral medications, such as ribavirin or virazole.
2. Maintain local cleanliness to prevent secondary bacterial infections.
3. If the child has difficulty eating due to oral lesions, provide easily digestible fluids and encourage mouth rinsing after meals.
4. Apply oxytetracycline fish oil locally to reduce pain and promote healing of erosions.
5. Take B vitamins, such as vitamin B2.
6. If fever occurs, use traditional Chinese medicine with heat-clearing and detoxifying properties.
The disease generally resolves within 1–2 weeks without leaving any sequelae, but it does not provide lifelong immunity, meaning it can recur in the future.
Prevention: During summer, when the disease is prevalent, try to minimize children’s visits to public places. Teach them good hygiene habits, such as washing their faces before meals and after using the toilet. Regularly sterilize toys and utensils. Early detection, treatment, and isolation are crucial. If the disease spreads in a kindergarten or daycare center, first isolate the affected child from healthy children, sterilize toys with disinfectant, and give healthy children oral for prevention.
Wishing your baby good health and strong growth!