Herpangina is known as "small" HFMD, and they are similar in etiology and transmission routes. So, how to relieve the uncomfortable symptoms caused by herpangina? How can parents be confident and calm?
In this issue, Huang Lisu, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases of the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang University School of Medicine, is invited to provide you with a guide to the prevention and treatment of herpangina.
01
Herpangina in children
What to do if you can't eat
I believe that everyone has had the experience of mouth ulcers, even if only one grows, it will hurt so much that it can't eat.
And children's herpangina is often a large piece of herpes, pain will affect their eating, parents will also be very anxious, always ask the doctor whether the infusion can supplement nutrition.
Director Huang said that a bag of 250ml of glucose liquid with a concentration of 5% can probably supplement 12.5g of sugar for the human body, but infusion is not the only channel to replenish energy for children.
Sports drinks have electrolytes, sugar, and the taste is cool, the taste is better, children are more willing to drink, compared to infusion, to drink sports drinks to supplement energy is actually a good way.
Children's regenerative ability and recovery ability are strong, and some children still show vitality after suffering from herpangina.
At this time, if the child can drink liquids and has a certain amount of urine, then there is no need to worry too much even if he does not eat much.
Director Huang emphasized that children with herpangina should not be given too hard or crunchy food, and soft and easily digestible foods such as porridge and noodles should be used to avoid damage to herpes secondary bacterial infection.
In general, the pain of herpangina disappears after 3 to 5 days after the disease.
02
In the face of herpangina
How parents respond
In the early stage of herpangina, children will have symptoms of high fever, and some children will even have febrile seizures, which is recommended to be hospitalized for observation to rule out the possibility of convulsions due to encephalitis or other factors.
If the child has not had a fever for a long time and is in good spirits, home isolation is recommended. At this time, parents can observe the child's situation according to the "three looks and two touches":
"Three looks": one to see whether the child's mental state is good, the second to see whether the child has limb twitches, and the third to see whether the child has difficulty breathing. If a child is apathetic, pale, and has difficulty breathing, it is recommended to seek medical attention promptly.
"Two touches": one touch whether the child's forehead has a fever, and the second touch whether the child's limbs are cold or hot.
Director Huang said that when a child has a fever, if the limbs are cold, it means that his body temperature will continue to rise.
At this point, parents can rub the child's hands and feet warm, or ask them to drink some warm water to help cool down.
Children with high fever and severe dehydration may cause shock, and microcirculatory disorders can cause spotting on the extremities, which requires medical attention as soon as possible.
03
3 features of herpangina
1. Wide spread
Herpangina disease is relatively insidious and widely contagious and spreads widely among children in kindergarten or primary school.
2. Widespread fever
For HFMD, children over 5 years of age rarely have fever after infection.
However, if a child is infected with herpangina, even if he is 7 or 8 years old, he will have fever symptoms and even a high fever for 3 to 5 days.
3. There are recurrent infections
As with HFMD, there are many common subtypes of viruses that cause herpangina, and vaccines can only prevent infections caused by EV71 virus.
Therefore, even if a child has been infected with herpangina, there is still a risk of reinfection due to weak cross-protection between different viruses.
(Health Doctor)