Coxsackievirus In Children – How Serious Is It?

Is your child suffering from painful skin blisters on her hands and feet? Is the skin rash extremely itchy and has it made her irritable? If you said yes, your child might have contracted the dangerous and decidedly nasty disease-inducing virus, the Coxsackievirus. What is coxsackievirus in toddlers and young children? How does it infect? Read our post and get the answers here.

What Is Coxsackievirus?

Coxsackieviruses belong to the enterovirus family of viruses. The typical species of viruses reside in the human digestive tract. The viruses are highly contagious and spread from one person’s body to the other. Unhygienic living conditions and dirty surroundings can enhance the growth of the viral infection. (1). Read below to know about coxsackie in kids in detail.

Types Of Coxsackie virus In Children:

The Coxsackie viruses have two distinct types:

• The type A Coxsackievirus causes a sore throat and skin blisters or rashes on the hand, foot and mouth.

• The type B Coxsackievirus causes the epidemic pleurodynia and inflammation in the chest.

• Both types of Coxsackieviruses trigger diseases like meningitis (inflammation of the spinal cord), pericarditis( inflammation of the heart’s sac) and myocarditis (inflammation of the heart’s muscle).The harmful species of the virus can also trigger the onset of juvenile (type 1) diabetes.

[ Read: Bacterial Infections In Children ]

Symptoms Coxsackie Virus In Children:

Some of the notable symptoms of Coxsackie virus infection in kids include:

• Hand, Foot, And Mouth Disease:

Some of the children suffer from skin rashes or painful blisters. The rashes appear on the palms of hands, the sole of the feet, on the tongue, within mouth gums or inside portion of the cheeks.

• Herpangina:

A throat infection that affects the tonsils and soft palate of the mouth, red blisters appear within the mouth, and the child may not be able to eat the food properly.

• Hemorrhagic Conjunctivitis:

Hemorrhagic Conjunctivitis is an eye infection. The infection usually affects the eye and leads to reddening and watery eyes. Sometimes, your child’s vision may be blurry or become extra sensitive to lights.

• Mild fever

• Poor appetite

• Muscle Pain

• Sore throat or cough problems

• Feeling exhausted (malaise) (2)

[ Read: Human Papilloma Virus In Children ]

Diagnosing The Coxsackievirus In Children:

The pediatrician will usually diagnose the infection by her appearance. It is easy to recognize the painful skin blisters or rashes on the hands and feet. However, in some rare occasions, your doctor may prescribe an RT-PCR test. The RT-PCR test diagnoses the exact viral genera and species of the Coxsackieviruses. (3)

Treating Coxsackie Viruses In Children:

There is no specific treatment for the viral infection, and the skin infections disappear after a certain period. Some of the medications prescribed by doctors for treating coxsackie virus in toddlers and young children are:

• Acetaminophen [Tylenol], treats fever and body pain.

• Medicated mouthwashes and sprays reduce oral discomfort.

• Get your child to drink lots of fluid to prevent dehydration. But don’t give her any acidic juices, as it may elevate or irritate the painful mouth blisters.

• Topical diphenhydramine gel or liquids reduce hand or foot discomfort.

[ Read: Symptoms Of Folliculitis In Children ]

Preventing Coxsackie Viruses In Children:

Some ways you can keep your child safe from the coxsackievirus infection include:

• Get your kid to should follow proper hygienic habits like washing her hands or bathing with medicated soap. Good practices may reduce viral transmission of the infectious Coxsackieviruses.

• Ensure that her toys are clean and don’t let her play in the dirt.

• Get your child to wash her hands before she eats her meals.

• Do not allow infected children to attend school. (4)

Has your child suffered from the attack of Coxsackievirus? What were her symptoms? How did you deal with it? Share your story with the other mommies here! Leave a comment below.

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