Question
Recently, the child has been crying frequently and has been found to have red rashes all over the body and itching and pain in the mouth. Could this be hand, foot, and mouth disease?
Answer
Hand, foot, and mouth disease typically presents with an acute onset, with a incubation period of 3 to 5 days. The symptoms include low-grade fever, general discomfort, abdominal pain, and other prodromal symptoms. Multiple painful blisters of about the size of green peas appear on the oral mucosa. On the hands and feet, there are maculopapular rash and vesicular eruptions. Initially, they appear as maculopapular rash but later transform into vesicular eruptions. The diameter of these vesicles is about 3 to 7 millimeters in size, resembling a grain of rice. They are firm in texture with a red halo around them. The fluid inside the vesicles is minimal. Underneath a grayish membrane, there are scattered or patchy necrotic surfaces.