Epidemiological and clinical profile of children reported with HFMD-like illness in the field practice area of an urban health training center of a teaching hospital in Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is an infectious disease mainly affecting children caused by Coxsackievirus A16, A4-7,9,10, B1-3, and enterovirus 71. Objective: The aim of this work was to study the epidemiological and clinical profile of children with HFMD-like illness in the field practice area of an urban health training center of a teaching hospital in Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala during the period from March 2022 to June 2022. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 35 cases reported with papulovesicular skin lesions with or without oral lesions. The cases were retrospectively reviewed and data were collected. Results: Out of 35 cases, 22 (62.85%) were female and 13 (37.15%) were male children. The mean age (standard deviation [SD]) of the participants was 3.29 (1.43) years. Fever (85.71%) and rash (94.29%) were the most common presenting symptoms. The mean duration (SD) of illness was 8.94 (4.51) days. All cases recovered completely with supportive treatment. Recurrence of the disease was noted among 7 (20%) children within a median period (interquartile range) of 44 (30, 90) days. Conclusion: Children in the age group of 1–6 years were the most affected population, and all recovered completely without complications. The clinical and epidemiological characteristics described will be useful for early diagnosis and thus prevent further transmission of the disease.