Another high incidence of hand, foot and mouth disease, parents do not know how to do these?
A. Understanding hand, foot and mouth disease
Hand, foot and mouth disease is an infectious disease caused by enterovirus, mostly occurs in children under 5 years old, the main symptoms are mouth pain, refusal to eat, anorexia, low fever, small herpes or small ulcers on the hands, feet, mouth and other parts.
Like colds, HFMD is also a self-limiting disease, with most children recovering spontaneously within a week or so; however, a few children with HFMD can suffer from complications such as myocarditis, pulmonary edema, and aseptic meningoencephalitis; individual children with severe disease can develop rapidly, which may lead to death.
Hand, foot and mouth disease currently lacks effective treatment drugs, there is no special treatment. In clinical practice, doctors are accustomed to classify HFMD into two categories: mild and severe. Mild hand, foot and mouth disease accounts for the majority.
1, hand, foot and mouth disease is characterized by an acute onset, fever, mouth pain, refusal to eat anorexia, the oral mucosa appears emanating herpes or ulcers, located more in the tongue, cheek mucosa and hard forehead, etc., can also spread to the soft palate, gums, tonsils and pharynx.
2, the hands, feet, buttocks, arms and legs appear maculopapular rash, which later turns into herpes, and there may be inflammatory redness around the herpes, with less fluid inside the herpes. More on the hands and feet, the back of the palm are there, the number of rashes is less a few more dozens.
3, usually about 1 week symptoms disappear completely, the rash fades without leaving traces, no pigmentation. Some cases only show a rash or herpetic pharyngitis. Mild cases of HFMD do not require hospitalization and do not leave sequelae.
Severe HFMD, on the other hand, is associated with serious complications and requires close observation of the condition and active treatment, otherwise it may be life-threatening.
1, a few cases (especially babies less than 3 years old) the disease progresses rapidly, in the onset of about 1 to 5 days meningitis, encephalitis (brainstem encephalitis is the most dangerous), encephalomyelitis, pulmonary edema, circulatory disorders, etc., very few cases critical condition.
2, some severe hand, foot and mouth disease even after medical personnel actively rescue, but still difficult to save the child’s life, even if survived, can still be left with sequelae.
3, but if early detection, early active treatment, then the possibility of saving the child’s life will greatly increase. This is one of the important reasons why we recommend contacting a pediatrician.
Second, timely medical consultation
Because of the special nature of HFMD, we recommend contacting your pediatrician after your child becomes ill. After careful consultation, the pediatrician will recommend whether to care for your child at home or to send him/her to the hospital for treatment. However, if any of the following conditions indicate the possibility of critical illness, please seek medical attention promptly.
1. The child is depressed, irritable or drowsy.
2.Frequent startled jumping or shaking of the limbs.
3.Limb weakness or paralysis.
4.Pale face, increased heart rate, cold limbs, marble-like pattern on the skin.
5. respiratory distress, marked acceleration or slowing of frequency, shallowing of breathing, irregular rhythm, etc.
6, high fever (temperature greater than 39℃) persists for more than 4 hours, even after taking antipyretic drugs and good physical cooling, the effect is still poor.
In addition, for children younger than 3 years old, if they have drooling, reluctance to eat, rash on hands, feet and buttocks, etc., please seek medical attention promptly because their condition is prone to change.
Family care
1. First of all, isolation is needed to reduce taking children to public places to avoid cross-infection.
2. Eat a light diet, drink warm water, and take good care of your child’s mouth.
3, clothes, bedding should be clean, clothing should be comfortable, soft, and frequently changed.
4. cut the child’s nails short and wrap the hands if necessary to prevent scratching the rash.
5.Babies with rashes on the buttocks should always clean up their urine and stools to keep the buttocks clean and dry.
6.Everyday objects need to be disinfected.
7, at the same time, parents must teach their children the correct way to wash their hands, as follows.