Question
My daughter is six years old, and I found several small red bumps on the back of her arms yesterday. Could it be hand, foot, and mouth disease?
Answer
Red bumps on the arms may be caused by folliculitis, sweat gland inflammation, or allergies. Folliculitis is often due to blocked follicles, inflammation at the base of the follicle, or external friction. Sweat gland inflammation may occur because of hot weather during the season, where sweat cannot be effectively expelled from the body, leading to accumulation of sweat in the sweat gland ducts, causing an inflammatory irritative response. It could also be due to other inflammatory conditions, including allergic factors, such as allergic dermatitis which may also cause this situation.