Hand, foot, and mouth disease is characterized by skin and mucosal lesions in the form of blisters in specific locations such as the oral mucosa, palms, soles, buttocks, and knees. The disease can cause many dangerous complications, such as encephalitis-meningitis, myocarditis, and acute pulmonary edema, leading to death if not detected early and treated promptly. Hand, foot, and mouth disease can be confused with several other diseases. Here are some typical symptoms to help people distinguish it from some similar diseases.
Table 1. Differential diagnosis with some similar diseases
|
Symptoms |
Hand, foot and mouth disease |
Chickenpox |
Shingles |
Herpes simplex |
|
Age |
< 10 years old |
5-11 years old, adults |
All |
All |
|
Location of rash |
Palms, elbows, knees, buttocks, abdomen, soles, mouth ulcers |
Spread all over the body, spreading from the head, face, down the trunk and limbs |
Only on one side of the body |
Clusters of small blisters around the mouth |
|
Type of rash |
Red, vesicles, papules, erythema, grey, oval, heals without scarring |
Old blisters mixed with new ones, concave in the middle when newly formed, clear and cloudy (pus) due to bacterial infection |
Cluster of blisters of different sizes, lymph nodes in the neck, armpit, and groin on the same side |
The blisters will burst, ooze, crust over, and heal |
|
Feeling |
Painless, non-itchy |
Itching, pain, very uncomfortable |
Itching, pain, and discomfort |
Itching, burning |
Compiled by: Le Minh Dat (email: lmd@vpha.org.vn)
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References
1. Quyết định số 292/QĐ-BYT ban hành ngày 06 tháng 02 năm 2024 về việc ban hành hướng dẫn chẩn đoán, điều trị bệnh Tay chân miệng (2024).
2. Bộ môn Dịch tễ học. Dịch tễ học bệnh Tay chân miệng. Giáo trình Dịch tễ học một số bệnh phổ biến. Nhà xuất bản Y học; 2019:130-139.