Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease Diagnosis and Differential Diagnosis

Causes and Differential Diagnosis

• Enteroviral infections, including CV-A6, CV-A16, and enterovirus 71, are confirmed causes of Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 1, 2, 3, 4
• The American Heart Association recommends distinguishing Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, which can involve palms and soles but presents with blanching pink macules evolving to petechiae 1, 2
• The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests differentiating Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease from Kawasaki disease, which shows erythema and edema of palms/soles with subsequent periungual desquamation at 2-3 weeks, but lacks vesicles 5
• The CDC advises considering drug hypersensitivity reactions in the differential diagnosis, as they can cause palmoplantar involvement but lack the characteristic vesicular morphology of Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease 1, 2