As summer approaches, many children who come to the clinic due to fever are diagnosed as herpetic angina, and parents will ask with concern: Is it hand-foot-mouth disease? Is it serious? What if you don’t eat? ] Let’s answer the parents’ concerns one by one.
Don’t worry, it’s not HFMD
Herpetic angina and hand-foot-mouth disease have the following two main differences:
Different Herpes Positions
Herpetic angina only has herpes in the oral cavity, while children with hand-foot-mouth disease may have herpes in the oral cavity, perioral cavity, hands, feet, buttocks and even the whole body.
Different severity
Herpes angina rarely appears severe, while hand-foot-mouth disease has a certain proportion will turn into severe. A few children with hand-foot-mouth disease may have complications such as myocarditis, pulmonary edema, encephalitis, etc. Individual children with severe hand-foot-mouth disease will die if the disease develops rapidly.
Herpetic angina is what?
After reading the following points, parents can quickly understand herpetic angina.
Features: Acute fever and pharyngeal isthmus herpes.
Causes: Most of them are caused by Coxsackie Group A virus, but also by Echo virus, EB virus, herpes virus and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Herpes angina caused by Coxsackie virus is highly infectious, prevalent quickly and has a high incidence rate in summer and autumn.
Children’s reaction: Children with herpetic angina may suffer from high fever, drooling and lack of love to eat. Older children may say sore throat, and babies with more serious symptoms may suffer from vomiting and even convulsions.
Main Symptoms: When the doctor examines the baby, he will find that the baby’s pharynx is red and swollen, and he can see multiple grayish-white herpes and ulcers of different sizes. Herpes may be seen in other parts of the oral cavity.
How to treat herpetic angina?
Generally speaking, it takes about one week for herpetic angina to fully recover. At present, there is no specific drug for herpetic angina. The main treatment method is to make children comfortable and symptomatic:
Pay attention to bed rest or sleep, which is very important to improve children’s immunity and restore physical strength.
If there is high fever or severe discomfort, antipyretic drugs can be taken orally.
Diet should be soft, light and nutritious.
Supplement enough water, cooler water has less irritation to throat than hot water;
If the child refuses to eat with oral pain, he can try to eat ice cream, which has certain analgesic effect and can supplement certain calories.
Dehydration manifestations such as oliguria, dry lips and dysphoria may require hospitalization.
If complications occur, see a doctor immediately.
Although herpetic angina is rarely severe, it should not be taken lightly.
Most herpetic angina recovers well and will not leave sequelae. However, like other viral infections, it may also be complicated with encephalitis, myocarditis, pneumonia, etc.
If the following symptoms occur, seek medical treatment immediately:
If the fever lasts for more than 24 hours, it is difficult to reduce the fever even if the antipyretic drugs are taken orally. Urination is obviously reduced, or there is no urination all day. Malaise, irritability, lethargy and even coma, etc. Shortness of breath, pale complexion, cold limbs, sweating profusely; Frequent vomiting, especially jet vomiting; Hard headaches; The limbs shook and the stand was unstable.
Preventive measures
At present, there is no vaccine against herpetic angina, but parents can do a good job in prevention from two aspects: paying attention to hygiene and avoiding infection.
Parents should pay attention to personal hygiene: wash hands before contacting children, before changing diapers for children and after handling feces, and properly handle dirt;
Educate children to wash their hands frequently: wash their hands before meals and after defecation, when they come back from playing outside and after touching pets;
Avoid crowded places: It is inappropriate to take children to public places with crowded people and poor air circulation during the epidemic period;
Pay attention to the sanitation of living environment: the living room should be ventilated frequently and clothes and quilts should be dried frequently.
Responsible Editor: Zhang Jingyuan