Hand-foot-and-mouth disease

Dalldorf and Sickles 1984.

False foot-and-mouth disease.

• Mostly occurring in the summer months
• Mostly affects young children, but family members also present with symptoms

• Incubation period: 3-5 days
• Mostly caused by Coxsackie A16 virus, otherwise by strains A2, A5, A9, A10, B2, B3 and B5

Sore throat, fever, appearance of greyish vesicles enorally as well as palmoplantar. Healing after approx. 8-10 days.

• Clinical presentation
• If unclear, virus isolation from the throat is possible

If the hand-foot-and-mouth disease is caused by enterovirus 71, pulmonary hypertension as well as CNS involvement may occur.

• Inform patients about the benign nature
• Mometasone furoate cream, solution, ointment
• Prednisolone p.o. 0.5-1.0 mg/kg/d, in tapering application frequency as shock therapy

1. Chang LY, King CC, Hsu KH, et al. Risk Factors of Enterovirus 71 Infection and Associated Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease/Herpangina in Children During an Epidemic in Taiwan. PEDIATRICS 2002;109:e88-e.
2. Davia JL, Bel PH, Ninet VZ, et al. Onychomadesis Outbreak in Valencia, Spain Associated with Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease Caused by Enteroviruses. Pediatric Dermatology 2011;28:1-5.
3. Fields JP. Hand, foot, and mouth disease. Archives of Dermatology 1969;99:243-6.