The hand-mouth-feet disease It mainly affects newborns and children, but adolescents and adults can also contract it, albeit in a mild form. It’s a viral pathology municipality, which is among those exanthematous (such as, for example, measles, chickenpox, scarlet fever and so on) that cause spots, lesions or alterations to the skin.
Hand, mouth and foot disease: what are the causes?
Hand-mouth-foot disease is caused by viruses belonging to the genus Enterovirus, which in our country circulate mainly between the months of November and May but in general can affect all year round. The pathology is mainly triggered by two viruses: Coxsackie A16 and Enterovirus 71. Contagion occurs through the air, through the emission of infected droplets through coughing, sneezing and close contact with secretions.
This type of disease mainly affects children between the ages of one and five, but adults can also contract it. In recent years there has been a strong epidemiological increase in this disease and the cause is probably attributable to early schooling. Children go to nursery and nursery school earlier and earlier and this favors the transmission of viruses and airway diseases. However, it can also affect adolescents and adults but in these subjects it manifests itself more mildly.
What are the symptoms?
This type of disease has an incubation period of 3 to 6 days. The most typical form sees the onset in the mouth, at the level of the anterior palate and tongue, of lesions similar to small canker soreswhich ulcerate easily and can cause pain especially when eating.
Subsequently, even after a day, some appear maculo-papules on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. They are bubbles or small red raised vesicles which in rarer forms can also affect the buttocks.
The severity of the pathology depends on the intensity of the symptoms. The “classic” course can be associated with other disorders such as mild fever, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache and sore throat. The course of the pathology lasts from 5 to 6 days and in the most serious cases can extend up to ten days.
Hand, mouth and foot disease: how is the diagnosis made?
The diagnosis is based onobservation of the typical symptoms of the disease. The doctor often asks for a culture test on a stool sample or a nasopharyngeal swab/aspirate to isolate the responsible virus. Specific antibodies can also be tested on serum. Identification of the responsible virus is very important and can help in the clinical management of the disease, as well as possible complications.
How is it treated?
There are no effective therapies, the disease must run its course and the symptoms disappear naturally after 5 or 6 days. If there are more disabling symptoms such as fever, paracetamol can be taken.
Mouth injuries are undoubtedly the most annoying because eating can cause pain. In this case it is necessary to opt for small portions of food, avoiding salty, acidic and too hot foods, taking care to administer them cold or at room temperature.
Injuries to the hands and feet in some cases do not even cause symptoms, in others they are very painful and given the affected areas it is not easy to intervene. You may find relief from using gauze soaked in cool water.
Can it be prevented?
The good rule of washing your hands several times a day limits many pathologies. In the specific case of hand-mouth-feet, as there is no vaccine, the advice is to keep children home from nursery or school as soon as symptoms appear and a diagnosis is made.
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