CLINICAL AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL FEATURES OF HAND-FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE IN CHILDREN HOSPITALIZED AT THE LVIV REGIONAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES HOSPITAL IN 2022–2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11603/1681-2727.2025.1.15153Keywords:
Enterovirus infection, “Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease”, children, onychomadesis, chickenpox, Coxsackie, rashAbstract
In recent years, there has been a clear trend toward an increase in the incidence of enterovirus-related diseases of epidemiological significance. One relatively «young» clinical form of enterovirus (EV) infection is Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease (HFMD), which is highly contagious.
Objective: To study the clinical manifestations, epidemiological characteristics, and complications of HFMD in children hospitalized in the Lviv Regional Infectious Disease Hospital.
Patients and methods. The study included 82 children aged 10 months to 17 years who were hospitalized at the Lviv Regional Infectious Disease Hospital from September 2022 to August 2024. Clinical, biochemical, and molecular-genetic investigations were conducted.
Results. All children exhibited typical clinical manifestations of HFMD: polymorphic maculopapular-vesicular rashes on the skin (palms, soles, face) and lesions of the oral mucosa. The incubation period lasted 3–6 days, and the prodromal period lasted 1–3 days. The disease course was moderate. The primary routes of infection transmission were fecal-oral and contact-household. Risk factors included contact with infected individuals in children’s groups and visiting swimming pools.
Complications included onychomadesis (25.6 %), epidermal peeling (8.5 %), and scarring of rash elements (4.9 %). In 25.6 % of cases, the diagnosis was confirmed by detecting enterovirus RNA using PCR.
Conclusion. HFMD generally follows a favorable course and ends in full recovery. However, practical management necessitates differential diagnosis with other infectious diseases and toxic-allergic skin lesions that exhibit similar clinical manifestations.
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