Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a viral infection that’s common in children—primarily under 5 years of age, and infants. Young children and infants are most at risk because they haven’t developed immunity to the viruses that cause the illness, which is why it’s rarely seen in adults.
The infection is minor and usually goes away in 7 to 10 days without treatment, but if you have a young child it’s a good idea to be familiar with the disease since it’s so common. Here are 10 terms you should know when discussing hand, foot, and mouth disease.
- Contagious: Hand, foot, and mouth disease is highly contagious, which means it spreads quickly from one person to another. The infection is spread through person to person direct contact; specifically through close contact (kissing, sharing cups or eating utensils), coughing and sneezing, feces (changing a diaper), blister fluid, and coming into contact with surfaces and objects that have the virus on them.
- Blister: A blister is swelling that forms on the skin. This swelling is filled with fluid. A common symptom of hand, foot, and mouth disease is a rash of flat red spots that can blister. The rash can occur on your child's hands, feet, and sometimes bottom.
- Herpangina: This is the medical term for mouth blisters caused by an infection. A common symptom that occurs due to hand, foot, and mouth disease is painful sores (blisters) in the mouth—they normally first appear as flat red spots.
- Coxsackievirus: The most common cause of hand, foot, and mouth disease is a virus called the coxsackievirus A16.
- Enteroviruses: The coxsackievirus belongs to a family of viruses called non polio enteroviruses. Other types of enteroviruses will sometimes cause hand, foot, and mouth disease but they aren’t as common as the coxsackievirus.
- Dehydration: When your body doesn’t have a sufficient amount of water and fluids, you will become dehydrated. This is especially a concern for those infected with hand, foot, and mouth disease because sometimes painful mouth sores or a sore throat will prevent your child from drinking fluids. A doctor should be notified right away if you think your child is suffering from dehydration.
- Malaise: This is another common symptom of hand, foot, and mouth disease. Malaise is characterized as a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or unwellness.
- Incubation period: This is a term that’s used to refer to the period from initial infection to the occurrence of signs and symptoms. The incubation period is 3 to 6 days.
- Viral meningitis: This is a rare but sometimes serious complication of hand, foot, and mouth disease. Viral meningitis is an uncommon infection that causes inflammation of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid surrounding your brain and spinal cord.
- Encephalitis: Another rare complication is encephalitis, a serious and life-threatening disease, which is recognized as brain inflammation caused by a virus.
