Patient's question:
Last night, after having dinner, while sitting on the sofa reading a medical newspaper, I accidentally came across a question asking what the blisters of hand, foot, and mouth disease look like. I was curious too, so I wanted to ask, what do the blisters of hand, foot, and mouth disease look like?Doctor's answer:
Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is an infectious, epidemic skin and mucous membrane disease caused by the Coxsackie A16 virus. It is a herpetic disease that primarily affects the skin of the hands and feet and the oral mucosa. There is typically a 2 to 5-day incubation period, with initial mild systemic symptoms including low fever, lethargy, headache, cough, runny nose, and loss of appetite. Subsequently, painful small vesicles surrounded by redness appear on the cheeks, gums, hard palate, tongue, lips, and pharyngeal mucosa. These vesicles can merge and rupture quickly, forming white, erosive facial and pharyngeal superficial ulcers. These usually dry into crusts within a few days. The disease can be cured within 1 to 2 weeks. Some children may experience symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhea.