3 dangerous signs of hand, foot and mouth disease

Startled, labored breathing, and trembling limbs are signs of worsening hand, foot, and mouth disease that appear 2 to 5 days after infection with the virus, which can lead to death.

The Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) recorded more than 1,670 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease this year. Last week alone, the city recorded 157 cases. Notably, the reappearance of the Enterovirus 71 (EV71) variant that causes severe illness and death. Ho Chi Minh City has recorded the first death suspected to be due to complications of this disease.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Hanh Le, Deputy Head of Pediatrics Department, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that the initial stage of hand, foot and mouth disease is 1-2 days with symptoms such as mild fever, fatigue, sore throat, loss of appetite, and diarrhea several times a day. After that, the body begins to have blisters and rashes in the mouth or on the hands and feet.

Over 90% of children with hand, foot and mouth disease will recover after 7-10 days of infection. However, 5% of children with hand, foot and mouth disease still have serious complications, which can lead to death if not treated promptly. Hand, foot and mouth disease can be treated as an outpatient, but parents need to monitor 3 warning signs of severe illness and take their children to the hospital immediately.

Startled

According to Dr. Hanh Le, being startled is one of the three typical severe symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease. This is a sign that the child has been infected with a neurotoxin. If not treated promptly, it can cause dangerous complications such as encephalitis, brain stem encephalitis, meningitis, encephalomyelitis, etc.

Early detection of the "startled and dizzy" signs is very important. Parents should pay attention when their child with hand, foot and mouth disease starts and feels dizzy when lying down (different from the condition where the child rolls over and over and cries). Specifically:

The baby will startle as soon as he falls asleep, raise his arms and legs, open his eyes to look up, then close them and doze off. In severe cases, the baby will startle continuously or even when in deep sleep. In many cases, the baby will startle as soon as he lies on his back.

Children startle even when they are playing. Parents should pay attention to whether the number of times the child starts increases over time. If the child starts twice in a row within 30 minutes, take them to the hospital immediately.

Hand, foot and mouth disease can be fatal if complications are severe. Photo: Heathxchange — Hand, foot and mouth disease can be fatal if complications are severe. Photo *: HealthXchange*

Shortness of breath

In addition to causing complications to the brain, hand, foot and mouth disease can cause complications to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Initially, children show signs of difficulty breathing, rapid breathing, wheezing, chest retraction, and stridor. If more severe, children may develop acute pulmonary edema, causing difficulty breathing, pale skin, moist rales in the lungs, and blood or pink foam in the endotracheal tube.

"Children with difficulty breathing are likely to suffer from heart failure and hemodynamic disorders. Difficulty breathing can lead to death if not treated promptly with medical intervention, mechanical ventilation, or intubation. As soon as you see your child wheezing, crying, or having difficulty breathing, take them to the hospital immediately," Dr. Hanh Le advised.

Shaking limbs

Children with hand, foot and mouth disease may have high fever, fatigue, vomiting, and then have symptoms of limb tremors. Parents may be subjective with this sign, thinking that children with insufficient nutrition may have tremors, or high fever causing chills. However, if children have tremors, body tremors, unsteady sitting, staggering, or more seriously, weakness in the arms or legs, these are warning signs that the child is at risk of severe progression. Tremors or weakness in the limbs may be caused by neurological complications. If not intervened early, the child may have long-term weakness. Physical therapy is required to be able to move.

Dr. Hanh Le noted that when children get sick, parents tend to assume that the disease is benign. Signs such as fussiness, vomiting, and difficulty sleeping are normal. However, parents should not ignore signs that their children are sleeping less, have difficulty sleeping, are startled, or are lethargic. Even if children have these symptoms, they should still see a doctor for examination. These could be warning signs of complications of meningitis.

Hand, foot and mouth disease can become severe and cause death after 24 hours. Therefore, parents need to pay attention to the signs of the disease to avoid serious progression, requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation, and making recovery from complications extremely difficult.

When detecting symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, rash, blisters on hands, feet, mouth, parents need to take their child to see a doctor soon.

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