Patient's question:
On November 22-23, the child had high fever for two days, reaching around 40°C. During this period, they visited the hospital for a check-up. The doctor, based on blood tests, believed it was a combined viral and bacterial infection and prescribed Liangyangjiao Granules + Motrin + Huibulan (a type of cephalosporin antibiotic). After taking these medications for two days, the fever subsided, the child's appetite returned to normal, and their spirits were back to usual. They continued taking Huibulan for one more day and stopped all three medications on the 24th.Starting from the 25th, the child began taking Lanting Oral Liquid. That evening, it was noticed that the child had red rashes on their toes and palms, which felt slightly hard and were not blisters. There were also mild red rashes on the tip of their tongue. The child did not report any pain or itching. Apart from this, the child had no other symptoms. Since the 24th, their temperature had returned to normal. On the 23rd and 24th, the child had headaches and dizziness while sleeping at night but reported no such symptoms during daytime naps, saying they had never experienced headaches or dizziness before.
On the 26th, I took the child to the children's hospital. The hospital staff learned that the child's kindergarten had confirmed four cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease and advised us to take the child to the infectious disease hospital. However, the child no longer had any other symptoms. I was concerned about cross-infection. I heard that hand, foot, and mouth disease is a self-limiting illness, so I wanted to ask if it would be acceptable to skip further checks and let the child rest and drink more fluids at home. If there was no recurrence of fever or the rashes subsided, would that indicate recovery? Could the headaches and dizziness be caused by the high fever rather than a brain complication, given that they had no vomiting or lethargy? We had not taken any antiviral medications. What kind of traditional Chinese medicine could be used?
The child currently has a cough, but it is not severe and they can cough up phlegm, which is slightly yellow. Is this a symptom of hand, foot, and mouth disease or another respiratory illness? Previously, when the child was sick, the doctor thought their trachea and lungs were fine.
Doctor's answer:
Should you go to the hospital for further examination to confirm the diagnosis. Hand, foot, and mouth disease does not necessarily manifest in all its forms in the same patient. Blisters and rashes usually subside within a week. The treatment typically includes the following points. Pay attention to isolation to prevent cross-infection, pay attention to oral care, appropriate fever reduction, provide antiviral treatment, and prevent complications.