Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a contagious viral infection that is common in young children, especially those under the age of ten; however, it can affect older ones and adults. It is commonly characterized by mouth sores and rashes on the hands and feet. This infection is mainly caused by coxsackie viruses. It is important to note that this infection is not related to the foot and mouth disease that usually affect cattle.
The viruses of hand, foot & mouth disease can spread from one person to another. If you get into contact with an infected person’s sneezing, blister fluids, saliva or feces, you can get infected too. This viral disease can also be spread through direct contact with unwashed hands or a contaminated surface.
The signs and symptoms of hand, foot & mouth disease start to manifest three to seven days after infection has occurred.
1. Pain While Swallowing
If you are infected with hand, foot & mouth disease you can experience pain when eating and when swallowing foods. This is because the disease causes a painful sore throat and mouth that make you feel pain when touched by food in the swallowing process. After one or two days of infection, you will develop red spots in your mouth and on the tongue. These red spots usually start at the back of your mouth and will fast develop into larger spots – mouth ulcers or can develop into mouth herpangina. These ulcers are the major cause of pain while swallowing foods and drinks to the infected person.
2. Dehydration
Fever is one of the first symptoms of hand, foot & mouth disease. The temperatures usually range from 38-39C and can cause dehydration of the infected individual. Painful mouth and throat sores can cause infected people especially young children from taking fluids and water. This will eventually make them dehydrated. Rashes and blisters on the hand and other body parts will also increase the loss of water from the body.
Not everyone, especially adults infected with hand, foot & mouth disease will show fever symptoms or any other symptoms but will still pass the virus to others who they meet.
3. Fatigue
Fatigue may result from hand, foot, and mouth disease symptoms like dehydration, high temperature, and loss of appetite. A painful sore throat and mouth will affect how much you eat or your child eats. Not eating enough or drinking enough fluids will cause fatigue.
Excessive loss of fluids and high temperature can also cause fatigue to the infected person. By being dehydrated, it means your body will lack enough water and subsequently low blood levels. With low blood levels, oxygen and food nutrients will not be transported efficiently to all body tissues. When combined with high temperature, the infected individual will always be fatigued.
4. High Temperature
Generally, body temperature will increase above normal range and is often occasioned by an illness. In hand, foot & mouth disease, a high temperature is the first sign and it manifests in the infected person during the incubation period. In most children, high temperature causes the temperature to rise and ranges from 38-39C. It is then followed by a sore throat and mostly lack of appetite and dissatisfaction.
High temperature may result in other symptoms such as sweating, irritability, headaches and general body weakness. It is important to closely monitor high temperature in your child because it may escalate to cause severe loss of body fluids and may require the doctor’s attention.
5. Loss of Appetite
Loss of appetite is a symptom common in individuals infected with hand, foot & mouth disease. Mostly, this symptom is because of high temperature, mouth sore and the painful sore throat that develops after the first signs. Besides, the difficulty and pain when eating and drinking may lead to an appetite loss.
Prolonged loss of appetite may lead to general body weakness. Eating enough food and drinking fluids ensures that the body is well hydrated and strong. As such, loss of appetite due to hand foot & mouth disease may make the body weak and debilitated.
6. Skin Blisters
Skin blisters often appear right after mouth ulcers. Skin blisters are made up of small but raised red spots on the skin. The red spots will usually affect the hands, fingers, on the palms, feet and extend to other body parts like the knee, elbow, groin, and buttocks.
The blisters often start as rashes and quickly progress to small red spots. When the blisters and red spots combine, they can make the infected feel itchy and uncomfortable. They usually last for up to six days. However, the fluids from the blisters do not transmit this contagious disease.
7. Coughing
Hand foot & mouth disease is a contagion that is caused by a virus that is mostly transmitted through coughing and sneezing. In hand foot & mouth disease, coughing is usually occasioned by a sore throat and runny nose. So, if you get near an infected person and get contact with his or her sneeze, then you are most likely to get infected.
Since the contagious virus can be spread even before the first signs start to manifest, it is important to ensure good hygiene practices like immediate disposal of tissues that contain nasal secretions and teach children to shield their cough.
8. Headaches
Young children mostly experience headaches due to hand, foot and mouth disease. In children, they are among the early signs and symptoms of this disease. A headache may be because of high temperatures and dehydration. With high temperatures of about 38C, the infected individual especially children will experience hot sweats.
Often, the hand, foot and mouth disease will start with a mild headache and then increase as high temperature begins. It is important to reduce the high temperature to reduce the headaches that can be severe at times.
9. Irritability
Irritability in hand, foot & mouth disease is caused by several symptoms. For instance, almost 80 percent of those infected are characterized by the development of rashes and blisters in various body parts like; around the soles of feet, the palm of hands, between toes and fingers, diaper areas and genitalia areas.
