Hand Foot and Mouth Disease

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease

Hand foot and mouth disease is a contagious viral infection, affecting young children. It is characterized by a rash on the hands and feet with sores in the mouth. The disease usually affects children, but can occur in adults as well. It is most common in the summer and fall, but it can affect you in other months as well. It is different from other diseases with similar names, such as Mad cow disease, foot-and-mouth disease, or hoof-and-mouth disease. Keep reading to learn more about symptoms and causes of this contagious disease.

What Are the Symptoms of Hand Foot and Mouth Disease?
You may notice a variety of symptoms and signs commonly associated with hand foot and mouth disease. You may experience Sore Throat, fever and have red, painful blisters-like growths on your gums, tongue or cheeks. You may also notice a red rash develop on your palms, soles or even the buttocks. Irritability is another common symptom of hand foot and mouth disease in toddlers and infants.

You don't usually experience symptoms right away, but it takes about 3-6 days for symptoms to

appear. It starts with a fever usually followed by a sore throat and a general feeling of
discomfort. A rash on your feet and hands will appear within a couple of days of infection.

If your child has developed this infection, you don't have to worry if the symptoms are mild. But you should contact your doctor if the signs are serious or get worse, or if Mouth Sores keep your child from drinking, eating or sleeping.

Does Hand Foot and Mouth Disease Have Complications?
You need to take things seriously if the symptoms of hand foot and mouth disease become worse after a couple of days. Certain complications may arise:

• Swallowing food will become painful due to sores in the throat and mouth.


• Dehydration is the most common among all the complications. It is, therefore, important to ensure that your child is drinking enough fluid – they may even require intravenous fluids in case dehydration becomes severe.


• A rare yet serious form of the Coxsackie virus may make things worse and involve the brain as well. This may lead to certain complications including viral Meningitis, which causes the membranes surrounding the brain to inflame.


• Encephalitis is another complication that involves brain inflammation caused by a viral infection.

What Causes Hand Footand Mouth Disease?
Generally affecting children under the age 10, hand foot and mouth disease is usually caused by a virus called cozsackie virus A16. It is a contagious disease, which means it can spread from person to person through tiny droplets released when a sick person coughs, sneezes or blow their nose. You will become infected if you touch a contaminated surface and touch your eyes, nose or mouth with the same hand. You will also become infected when you touch the fluid from blisters of a sick person.

How to Get Hand Foot and Mouth Disease Treated
There are a number treatments and home remedies available for the disease. You don't need any specific treatment for the disease because its symptoms usually go away in 7-10 days.

1. Medications
In order to speed up your healing process and soothe your discomforts, your doctor may prescribe an oral anesthetic to relieve the pain of mouth sores. You can also take OTC pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen for pain relief.

2. Home Remedies
Since you have blisters in your mouth and throat, it is important to ensure that the things you eat don't irritate those blisters. Try the following tips to make your pain more manageable.

• Suck on ice chips or ice pops.


• Eat ice cream or enjoy sherbet.


• Go for cold beverages, such as ice water.


• Don't eat acidic food and beverages, such as fruit drinks, citrus fruits and soda.


• Don't eat spicy and salty foods.


• Eat food that requires less chewing.


• Rinse your mouth with warm water after you eat anything.


• In case your child can rinse mouth without swallowing, you may consider using saline water for swishing. Your child will feel better by doing the same several times a day.

3. Prevention Methods
As there isn't any specific treatment option available for hand footand mouth disease, it is better to take steps to avoid becoming infected in the first place.

• Wash your hands frequently and ensure that your child does the same. Use soaps when available or use germ-killing gels.


• Be sure to clean high-traffic surfaces more often. Use soap and water for cleaning and also use a diluted solution of chlorine bleach with water for perfect cleaning. Don't forget to clean your baby's pacifiers often.


• It is important to stay away from people who are affected by hand footand mouth disease. You should do the same when your child is infected – keep them out of school or childcare until fever and sores are gone.

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease






Hand foot and mouth disease is a contagious infection caused by virus. It is often seen in young children and is marked by the presence of Mouth Sores and rashes on the feet and hands. It is caused by coxsackie virus. It is necessary for the children to follow good hygiene to prevent getting this infection.

Symptoms :

Mouth sores, Sore Throat, painful blisters on the oral cavity, fatigue, rash on the palms and feet, loss of appetite and fever are some of the common signs of this infectious disease. The virus remains on the body of the person for 3-7 days (incubation period) after which the symptoms begin to appear.

If there is fever followed by skin rash it can possibly be hand, foot and mouth disease.

Causes :

This disease is caused by coxsakie virus A16. It is categorized under non polio enterovirus group. The child or adult can get this virus while he takes contaminated food. As the infection is contagious, it can spread easily to others through saliva and nasal secretion. Even the fluid like discharge from the blisters can spread the virus to others. When the infected person coughs or sneezes, millions of droplets get expelled which remains in the air for infecting others.

There is increased risk for children who are left in day-care centers for getting this infection from other child. Sometimes, the virus remains dormant in the child’s body for weeks together even when the symptoms are not present.

Who is at risk ?

Young children in the age group of 5-10 are prone to get hand, foot and mouth disease. Often, these children would stay in day-care centers where he can pick up the infection. Secondly children have less immunity and hence are risky to get this infection.

Diagnoses :

The doctor will look for the symptoms like sore throat, mouth sore and skin rash and start treating the child.

Treatment :

Hand, foot and mouth disease cannot be cured but the symptoms can be treated and prevented. Very often, the signs will disappear within a week of taking medicines. Over the counter drugs like Tylenol, aspirin and Ibuprofen can help in relieving pain and other symptoms. You can also apply oral anesthetic for getting relief from mouth sores.

Give the infected child ice-cream or ice pops for reducing the discomfort of sore throat. Give him plenty of liquids to keep him well hydrated. It is good to take soft foods instead of hot and spicy items. Gargle the mouth with salt water to reduce the discomfort caused by sore throat and mouth sores.

Pictures of Hand Foot and Mouth Disease :

Images, Pics, Pictures and Photos of Hand Foot and Mouth Disease

Prevention :

Instruct the child to follow good hygiene practice before eating and after using toilet. Adults can avoid getting the infection by taking preventive measures like wearing rubber gloves while attending the infected child and by repeatedly washing the hands with antiseptic liquid. Do not allow the child to put his hand inside the mouth since it increases the chance of getting infection.

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease

What is Hand Foot and Mouth Disease?

This is a contagious but mild viral infection very common in children who are young. It is characterized by Mouth Sores as well as a rash on the hand and feet and is caused in most cases by coxsackievirus.

There is no certain treatment for this disease. The risk of infection can be reduced for this illness by the practice of good hygiene, for instance washing hands thoroughly and often.

Symptoms

Hand-foot-and-mouth infection can trigger all of the following symptoms and signs or just a few of them. They consist of:

• Sore Throat


• Fever


• Malaise – or feeling of being not well


• Red, blister-like, painful sores on the gums, inside of the cheeks and tongue


• Non-itchy, red, possibly blistery rash on the soles of the feet and palms of the hands as well as often the buttocks


• Infants and toddlers irritability


• No appetite

The normal period from being infected to the development of symptoms and signs – incubation period – is 3 to 7 days. The fever in most cases is the first symptom of this infection, followed by a throat that is sore and often an appetite that is poor as well as not feeling very well. 1 or 2 days after the fever has begun, sores that are painful can begin in the throat or mouth, followed by a rash on the feet and hands as well as possibly the buttocks.

This infection is normally only a minor sickness which causes only a few days of fever as well as mild symptoms and signs. The family physician needs to be called if the sore throat or mouth sores keeps the child from consuming fluids. Also contact your physician if the child does not get better after a few days.

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease Causes

The cause that is most common for this illness is contamination by coxsackievirus A16. The coxsackievirus is in a set of viruses referred to as non-polioenteroviruses. Other enteroviruses often can cause hand-foot-and-mouth illness.

Oral consumption is the chief mode of transfer for this infection. The sickness spreads thru person-to-person interaction with throat as well as nose discharges, blister fluid, saliva or stool of an individual with this infection. This virus also can spread thru fluid mist in the air after somebody sneezes or coughs.

This disease is more common in child care sites due to the frequency of potty training as well as changes of diapers and since little children place hands in their mouths often.

Children can infect others when the virus is in the body but there are no symptoms or signs and this virus can stay in the body for often weeks. Some individuals, mostly adults, are able to pass the virus without having any symptoms or signs.
Occurrences of this illness are frequent in summer and fall months in the US as well as other moderate climates. In climates that are tropical, outbreaks happen year round.

You're reading Hand Foot and Mouth Disease posted by minhhai2d, the information is for reference only.

The more frequent problem with this disease is dehydration. Since this infection can develop sores in the throat and mouth, it makes consuming anything difficult as well as painful. Child need to be monitored carefully to ensure they consume enough fluid while sick with this illness. When dehydration becomes severe, IV fluids can become needed.

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease usually is a minor sickness with only a few days with fever and mild symptoms and signs. But, a very rare as well as serious type of the coxsackievirus may involve the brain and can trigger other complications:

Encephalitis
This very severe as well as potentially life-threatening illness involves inflammation of the brain. This is caused by a virus but is very rare.

Viral Meningitis
This is when the infection inflames the membranes or meninges as well as cerebrospinal fluid around the spinal cord as well as the brain. This type of meningitis is normally mild, clearing up on its own.

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease Treatment

There is no precise therapy for hand-foot-and-mouth disease. Symptoms and signs of this disease normally go away after 7 to ten days.

Some form of topical oral anesthetic can aid in the relief of mouth sore pain. Over the counter pain drugs other than aspirin, for instance Tylenol, Advil or Motrin can aid in relieving overall discomfort.

Some beverages and foods can aggravate any blisters on the tongue, throat, or mouth. Below are some tips to make the soreness of blisters less uncomfortable as well as making drinking or eating more tolerable:

• Sucking on ice chips or ice pops


• Eat sherbet or ice cream


• Drink beverages that are cold for instance ice water or milk


• Acidic beverages and foods are to be avoided, for instance fruit drinks, citrus fruits as well as soda.


• Salty or spicy foods are to be avoided


• After meals rinse the mouth with water that is warm

If the child has the ability to rinse without swallowing, rinsing the mouth with warm salt water can be very comforting. Make a mixture of ½ teaspoon of salt with one cup of water that is warm. Let the child rinse with this solution a number of times a day, or when needed to aid in reducing the inflammation and pain of the throat and mouth of sores caused by this illness.

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease Pictures