Hand, foot, and mouth disease in a hospital in Callao in 2016

Abstract

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is an exanthematous viral disease caused mainly by Coxsackie A16 with a typical symptomatology of fever, papulovesicular rash on the hands, feet, and genitals, and an ulcerous enanthem in the mouth. In the summer of 2016, a variety of cases presented at a hospital in Callao in children and adults with a symptomatology consistent with HFMD. A clinical diagnosis was made, and support therapy was applied, resulting in the resolution of symptoms. In the last decade, reports have emerged in some countries of an atypical involvement caused by Coxsackie A6, producing lesions that are more widely distributed in adults. However, the diagnosis remains clinical, only requiring virological confirmation in atypical cases or when the diagnosis is unclear. The importance of this report stems from its description of the cases in Callao that occurred in the summer of 2016 and serve as an example for health professionals in the diagnosis and management of patients with similar symptomatology.