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Definition of Hand-foot-and-mouth disease
Hand-foot-and-mouth disease definition - medical term
A viral syndrome with a rash on the hands
and feet and in the mouth. The internal rash (the enanthem) consists of blisters
and little ulcers that may involve not only the lining of the mouth but also the
gums, palate, and tongue. The external rash on the body (the exanthem) typically
affects the hands (most commonly), feet and, sometimes, the buttocks. There may
also be sore throat, irritability, decreased appetite, and fever.
The disease is caused by various viruses, including several types of coxsackievirus-coxsackieviruses
A16 (most often), A5, A9, A10, B1 and B3, and enterovirus 71. The incubation period
is short, on the order of 4 to 6 days. The disease is most frequent in summer and
fall. The rate of clinical expression in hand-foot-and-mouth disease is high with
the enanthem-exanthem pattern evident in nearly 100% of preschoolers, nearly 40%
of school-age children and about 10% of adults. The illness is characteristically
self-limited and is usually over and done within a week when due to its most common
cause: coxsackievirus A16. In outbreaks due to enterovirus 71, the illness may be
more severe with complications such as viral meningitis and encephalitis and paralytic
disease. However, hand-foot-and-mouth disease as a rule tends fortunately to be
mild and self-limited.
The condition was first reported in 1956 in Australia and by the early 60s had
emerged as a common childhood illness around the world. It is also called hand-foot-and-mouth
syndrome. The hyphens are sometimes dropped and it is termed hand, foot, and mouth
disease or syndrome.
Common Misspellings: hand-foot-and-mouth diease, hand-foot-and-mouth desease
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