Question
A four-year-old girl developed severe oral ulcers, resembling hand, foot, and mouth disease. After experiencing a fever of 38.5 degrees Celsius and receiving intravenous treatment, her symptoms temporarily subsided. However, she developed a fever again to 38.5 degrees Celsius after sleeping, accompanied by a headache. The parents are worried that this may be a sign of encephalitis or meningitis.
Answer
The characteristic of hand, foot, and mouth disease is the appearance of scattered vesicles or ulcers on the oral mucosa, commonly seen in the pharynx, tongue, lips, and mucosa, which may cause oral pain. The main symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease also include macules and vesicles on the mucosa of the hands, feet, and mouth. In contrast, oral ulcers are limited to the inside of the mouth, such as gums, cheek mucosa, tongue, and palate, where individual or clustered small vesicles appear. After bursting, these vesicles form small ulcers. Sometimes small ulcers can merge into larger ones, but oral ulcers do not appear on other parts of the mouth like hands and feet. Therefore, oral ulcers themselves do not lead to hand, foot