Medicines to support the treatment of hand - foot - mouth disease in children

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor II Tran Thi Linh Chi - Head of Pediatrics - Neonatology Department - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.

Since the beginning of the year, the whole country has recorded more than 35,000 cases of hand - foot - mouth disease and over 80 deaths. About 2 years ago, the number of children with this disease tended to increase in the northern provinces of our country. The disease has an increasingly complicated development, especially in the coming months, especially in the new school year, the risk of increasing the number of cases and deaths in children under 5 years old is very high.

1. What is hand, foot and mouth disease?

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is an infection caused by a virus. The main pathogenic viruses are Coxackievirus (group A16) and Enterovirus type 71 (EV71). In particular, cases with severe complications are often caused by EV 71.
This is a common disease in children under 3 years old, rarer in children under 6 months and over 5 years old. The disease occurs all year round but is concentrated in February - April and September - December.
The main clinical manifestations of hand - foot - mouth disease are skin and mucosal lesions in the form of blisters on the skin and ulcers. oral mucosa.
It is worth noting that the disease can cause many dangerous complications such as encephalitis, meningitis, myocarditis, pneumonia... To prevent these dangerous complications, parents and families need to be monitored. monitor children, detect early signs of bad developments such as: high fever, abnormal breathing, irritability or lethargy, stop feeding, vomiting, convulsions...
If not detected and treated promptly, The risk of death will be very high and occur quickly, especially in the setting of cardiovascular collapse and acute pulmonary edema.

2. Medicines for treatment

This is a viral disease, so there is no specific treatment. Treatments are aimed at addressing the symptoms and complications of the disease.
Treatment of fever and mouth sores Lowering temperature: When the child has a high fever of 38.5oC or more, it is necessary to give the child an acetaminophen (paracetamol) fever-reducing medicine immediately. Add enough water: Give the child an electrolyte solution (oresol; hydride). When children have fever and mouth ulcers, vitamin C and zinc should be supplemented... Treatment of mouth ulcers: Use glycerin borate solution to wipe the mouth before and after eating. Oral gel (kamistad; zyttee...) has antiseptic and pain-relieving effects to help children eat and drink easier. When there are symptoms of encephalopathy - meningoencephalopathy Need to use anticonvulsant drug: phenobarbital. Use of antibiotics: Cefotaxime is treated as bacterial meningitis. Monitor closely for respiratory symptoms. Meningeal symptoms - brain with paralysis, impaired consciousness Anticonvulsants. Antibiotics: cefotaxime or ceftriaxone. Regulate disorders of water, electrolytes, acid-base balance, blood sugar. Closely monitor pulse, temperature, blood pressure, breathing rate, breathing pattern, consciousness, SpO2.

Respiratory failure, cardiovascular collapse Treatment of respiratory failure: airway clearance, oxygen, correction of acid-base balance disorders (if any). Shock treatment. Treat with antibiotics as above. In addition, for cases with neurological complications, impaired consciousness, treatment with gammaglobulin is indicated for 6-8 hours, 2 days in a row. However, there is no definitive proof of the effectiveness of this treatment.

3. Disease prevention

According to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, the situation of hand - foot - mouth disease is still at an alarming level, especially to prevent the peak of the epidemic in September - October. To prevent the outbreak of hand - foot - mouth disease, prevention measures play an important role.
The main preventive measures are still non-specific because there is currently no preventive vaccine.
Observe the principles of personal hygiene, especially the habit of washing hands with soap before and after taking care of children. Especially after contact with secretions and wastes of sick children. Disinfect tools and toys for children with disinfectant solution (chloramine B). Isolate the child as soon as the earliest symptoms are detected and especially in the first week of illness. Strengthen nutrition to improve children's resistance.

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