Patient's question:
At first, the child just had a high fever, but it never subsided. Then he started vomiting, which he believed was caused by a cold. Later, he noticed many blisters in his mouth, which later turned into ulcers. The doctor said this was hand, foot, and mouth disease. What are the symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease?Doctor's answer:
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a common infectious disease in infants and young children caused by enteroviruses. It does not currently have a legally reportable infectious disease status. The disease has a high rate of asymptomatic infection, and symptoms in symptomatic patients are generally mild. Patients, asymptomatic carriers, and silent carriers are the main sources of transmission. It is mainly spread through close contact between people and food contaminated by fecal matter. The virus in the patient's throat secretions and saliva can be spread through airborne droplets, and the patient's feces remain infectious for several weeks. The clinical manifestations of hand, foot, and mouth disease are enterovirus infections, with an incubation period of 3 to 7 days. Most patients experience sudden onset without obvious prodromal symptoms. It primarily affects the hands, feet, mouth, and buttocks. Four non-characteristic clinical features include painless, itchy, non-crusting, and non-ulcerative lesions. At the beginning, there may be mild upper respiratory symptoms.