Is herpetic pharyngitis hand, foot and mouth disease?

Although both herpetic pharyngitis and hand, foot and mouth disease are infectious diseases caused by enterovirus and are common in children, they are not the same disease. There are obvious differences between the two in terms of symptoms, transmission methods and scope of impact.

Herpangina is mainly manifested by acute fever and herpes in the pharyngeal isthmus. Children usually have symptoms such as high fever, sore throat, and difficulty swallowing. Small herpes can be seen in the pharyngeal isthmus with a red halo around it. This disease is mainly transmitted through the fecal-oral route and droplets and is highly contagious. Fortunately, it is a self-limiting disease and most children can recover after a period of time.

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a more complex infectious disease. Its typical symptoms include herpes on the hands, feet, mouth and other parts of the body, sometimes accompanied by fever, anorexia and other symptoms. A small number of children may develop serious complications such as myocarditis and pulmonary edema. Hand, foot and mouth disease can be transmitted in various ways, including close contact, droplet transmission and fecal-oral transmission. Children under the age of 5 are at high risk of hand, foot and mouth disease, and parents need to pay special attention.

In terms of treatment and care, both herpetic pharyngitis and hand, foot and mouth disease require that children should rest and receive nutritional supplements, and that indoor air circulation be maintained to avoid cross infection. For children with fever, physical or drug cooling can be used. Since both are viral infections, there is currently no specific medicine, and treatment is mainly focused on relieving symptoms and preventing complications.