Hand-foot-mouth disease can occur in immunocompetent adults and requires prompt diagnosis to prevent spread to children.
May prompt HFMD consideration in adult vesicular rashes to curb transmission; extends sparse adult case data but leaves confirmation open.
Hand-foot-mouth (HFM) disease is primarily a disease of children, although it can be seen in immunocompromised adults. We describe a case of HFM disease in a 35-year-old immunocompetent male. He presented with multiple, 1~2 mm sized, erythematous vesicular papules on both hands and feet. Histopathological findings of a skin biopsy showed superficial perivascular lymphocytic infiltration, focal keratinocyte necrosis, and reticular degeneration. Because delayed diagnosis can cause spread of the disease to children, dermatologists should be aware that HFM disease can occur in adults with intact immune systems.
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Shin et al. (2010) studied this question.
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