Question
How should hand, foot, and mouth disease complicated by encephalitis be treated?
Answer
Hand, foot, and mouth disease complicated by encephalitis is an infectious disease caused by enteroviruses, commonly occurring in children under 5 years old. Symptoms include oral pain, loss of appetite, low fever, and small blisters or ulcers on the hands, feet, and mouth. Encephalitis is one of the complications of hand, foot, and mouth disease and can occur in individuals of any gender and age. The main symptoms include high fever, headache, vomiting, coma, and seizures. Treatment for encephalitis should be comprehensive based on the different causes, with controlling intracranial hypertension, high fever, and recurrence of seizures being particularly important. Comatose patients need to maintain an open airway. Symptomatic treatment includes the use of corticosteroids such as hydrocortisone or dexamethasone dissolved in a 5% glucose solution for intravenous infusion. The dosage is gradually increased, with the course of treatment not exceeding one month; as well as dehydration therapy, the duration of which is determined by the condition.