Question
I unknowingly played with a child with hand, foot, and mouth disease two days ago. Now, the baby has been running a fever for 2 days, around 38 degrees Celsius, with just a blister inside the mouth. There are no blisters elsewhere. The doctor said it doesn’t seem like this disease and prescribed an intravenous drip. But I’m unsure if this is the early stage of hand, foot, and mouth disease. What are the symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease?
Answer
The early symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease include oral mucosal rashes and maculopapular rashes or blisters on the hands, feet, and other areas. The oral mucosal rash appears first, initially as millet-like maculopapular rashes or blisters with a red halo around them. They are mainly located on the tongue and cheeks, and the sides of the lips also commonly occur. On the distal parts of the hands and feet, flat or raised maculopapular rashes or blisters appear. The rash is not itchy; the maculopapular rash turns dark red after about 5 days and then gradually fades. The blisters are round or oval flat elevations containing cloudy fluid; they come in different sizes and generally do not cause pain or itching. After healing, they do not leave scars. Not all symptoms may appear in the same patient with hand, foot, and mouth disease. Blisters and rashes usually subside within a week.