Early Symptoms of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease: Causes, Contagion, Treatment, and Prevention for Infants and Adults

Early Symptoms of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease in Infants and Adults

Causes, Contagion, Treatment, and Prevention

The early symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease, which are similar to a cold, are usually common in infants and young children under 6 years old, and they appear gradually after an incubation period of 3 to 4 days.

A sudden high fever of 38 degrees Celsius or higher occurs, and ulcerative blisters appear inside the mouth, on the tongue, and on the gums, making eating difficult.

Today, we will look in detail at the early symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease in babies and adults, along with its causes, diagnosis methods, treatment methods, and ways to respond.

The cause of this disease is a viral infection, with Coxsackie virus type A16 or enterovirus acting as the causative agent.

This virus is easily spread through the saliva, nasal mucus, phlegm, and stool of an infected person, and it spreads quickly when hygiene conditions are poor.

Because of this, it spreads quickly when hands are frequently sucked and when babies and children share toys with one another in daycare centers and similar settings, exposing them to environments that are vulnerable to infection.

It is considered a highly contagious disease and can easily spread through the saliva, nasal mucus, stool, and other bodily fluids of an infected person, but the period within one week after onset is when it is most contagious.

Even after all the blisters dry up and disappear, the virus is still shed in stool for several weeks, so thorough hygiene management is necessary even after recovery.

An infected young child should avoid group settings such as daycare centers for about a week after symptoms improve as much as possible, and care should be taken to prevent spreading it to other family members as well.

As mentioned earlier, the early symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease cause ulcerative blisters inside the mouth, making it very uncomfortable to chew food properly.

Later, red rashes or blisters also appear on the palms and soles, and the early symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease can spread to the buttocks and around the knees.

Babies become fussy about sleeping and cannot get proper rest, feel weak, and drool frequently. In adults, oral pain or blisters on the hands and feet are more prominent than a high fever.

The disease is mainly diagnosed through clinical symptoms, but if they are not clear or if proper differentiation from similar diseases is needed, PCR testing or blood tests may be considered.

Because there is no antiviral medication, treatment should be carried out through symptomatic therapy to relieve symptoms, and rapid recovery should be encouraged with fever reducers, pain relievers, and fluid replacement.

Care should be taken to prevent dehydration caused by mouth ulcers. In general, recovery occurs naturally within 7 days, but hospitalization is necessary if complications occur in rare cases.

To prevent this disease, thorough personal hygiene and disinfection of the environment are key in daily life, and both children and caregivers should wash their hands frequently.

In particular, handwashing should be done thoroughly after using the toilet, after going out, and before and after meals. If infection is suspected, isolation should be carried out immediately and disinfection should be done with a disinfectant.

Also, if the disease is spreading at a child’s daycare center or kindergarten, do not forget that temporarily stopping attendance is a way to prevent further spread.