Herpangina
David Perlstein, MD, MBA, FAAP
Dr. Perlstein received his Medical Degree from the University of Cincinnati and then completed his internship and residency in pediatrics at The New York Hospital, Cornell medical Center in New York City. After serving an additional year as Chief Pediatric Resident, he worked as a private practitioner and then was appointed Director of Ambulatory Pediatrics at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx.
Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP
Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Indiana University.
- What is herpangina?
- What causes herpangina?
- What are herpangina symptoms and signs?
- How is herpangina diagnosed?
- What is the treatment for herpangina?
- What is the prognosis for herpangina?
- What is the difference between herpangina and hand foot and mouth disease?
- Can herpangina be prevented?
- Where can people find more information about herpangina?
- Herpangina At A Glance
- Find a local Doctor in your town
What is herpangina?
Herpangina is an acute, virally induced, self-limited illness often seen in young children during the summer months. Affected children usually complain of mouth sores and fever. It is caused by a number of viruses, all part of the enterovirus family, coxsackievirus being the most common. Most children develop a high fever and complain of a sore throat. They then develop vesicles (blisters) or ulcers (sores) at the back of the throat and palate (called an enanthem). Children, especially younger children, may refuse to eat or drink because of the pain and are at risk for developing signs and symptoms of dehydration.
What causes herpangina?
Several common Coxsackie A viruses can cause herpangina, although a number of other enteroviruses have also been implicated. The viruses are usually spread via the "fecal-oral route" or via "respiratory route." Contact with mucous of an individual infected with one of these viruses is usually all that is needed to contract the illness. The normal course of the infection involves an incubation period which is generally an asymptomatic period lasting anywhere from one to two weeks. In fact, 50% of individuals infected with some of these enteroviruses remain asymptomatic throughout, which makes preventing transmission more difficult.
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