Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common viral infection that’s characterized by mouth sores and a rash.
It's most common in young children under 10 years of age, but it can sometimes affect adolescents and adults as well. The infection should clear up within a week to 10 days without treatment. Here’s a look at what you need to know about hand, foot, and mouth disease including symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment.
Symptoms
Hand, foot, and mouth disease usually begins with a fever, reduced appetite, sore throat, and malaise—a feeling of being unwell.
A day or two after the fever occurs painful sores can develop in the mouth (herpangina). These sores show up in the back of the mouth as small red spots. A skin rash that looks like red spots, and sometimes blisters, can also occur. It may be noticeable on the hands, feet, and sometimes buttocks. Painful sores in the mouth can make swallowing liquids difficult, putting people—especially children and infants—at risk for dehydration.
It’s possible for some people, especially adults, to show no symptoms of the infection, but they can still spread the virus to others.
Causes
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is caused by a virus, most commonly the coxsackievirus A16. This virus belongs to a group called enteroviruses; other types of enteroviruses can cause hand, foot, and mouth disease.
The infection is highly contagious and spreads through direct contact with an affected person:
- Nasal secretions or throat discharge
- Saliva
- Fluid from blisters
- Stool
- Respiratory droplets sprayed into the air after a cough or sneeze
Risk Factors
The following factors increase the risk for hand, foot, and mouth disease:
- Age: Hand, foot, and mouth disease mainly affects children younger than 10 years of age, especially those under 5.
As they grow older, children develop immunity to the disease by building antibodies after being exposed to the virus that causes the infection. However, it's possible, but highly unlikely, for adolescents and adults to get the disease. - Day Care: Child care centers are one of the most common hosts of the infection because the virus spreads by person-to-person contact, and children tend to spread more spit through chew toys and by putting their hands in their mouths.
Diagnosis
If you suspect you or your child may have hand, foot, and mouth disease, see your doctor even though the infection is usually mild.
Your doctor will evaluate:
- The age of the affected person
- Signs and symptoms
- The rash or sores
In order to identify which virus caused the illness, your doctor may take a throat swab or stool specimen for testing.
Treatment
There’s no treatment for hand, foot, and mouth disease, but signs and symptoms of the infection typically go away with 7 to 10 days.
If pain from the mouth sores is intolerable, a topical oral anesthetic can offer relief. Over the counter medication such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) can also help with general discomfort.
Prevention
The best form of treatment is prevention. Hand, foot, and mouth disease spreads from person to person through contact with blister fluid or feces of an infected person, coughing, and sneezing. To lower your risk of contracting the infection you can:
Wash your hands regularly with soap and water
Disinfect dirty surfaces and soiled items
Avoid close contact such as kissing, hugging, or sharing eating utensils or cups with contagious people
