Paediatrics, what is hand-foot-mouth disease

By Cristiano Antonino Last updated Oct 24, 2022

Hand, foot and mouth disease is an infectious disease that predominantly affects paediatric patients

Hand-foot-mouth disease is caused in most cases by an A16 coxsackie virus infection and only rarely by different microorganisms

After a mild pharyngitis, which may sometimes go unnoticed, an enanthem may appear in the oral cavity, characterised by small, greyish, painful erosions surrounded by a reddened halo.

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Within a few days, similar manifestations (exanthem) also appear on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

In rare cases, the viral exanthema may also affect other areas (e.g. buttocks).

The disease has a benign evolution and usually regresses within a few weeks.

A dermatological examination is very important in order to distinguish hand-foot-mouth disease from other skin diseases, such as herpes, polymorphous erythema and the classic childhood rash diseases.