Skin Problems & Treatments Health Center

Hand-foot-mouth disease. This common and benign viral disease of childhood is usually caused by the A16 strain of coxsackievirus, although other strains of the same virus have been implicated. It most often occurs in late summer and early fall. The prodrome consists of low-grade fever and malaise. Shortly thereafter, vesicular lesions arise on the soft palate, tongue, buccal mucosa, and uvula. The lips are usually spared. Occasionally, these lesions may be painful and cause some difficulty in eating. The cutaneous lesions develop 1 or 2 days after those in the mouth. They consist of asymptomatic round or oval vesiculopustules that evolve into superficial erosions. The edges of the palms and soles are a favored location.

Color Atlas of Pediatric Dermatology
Samuel Weinberg, Neil S. Prose, Leonard Kristal
Copyright 2008, 1998, 1990, 1975, by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.