Herpangina is a clinical syndrome that may be caused by several viruses. It tends to affect young children most often and can occur in epidemics.
Duration of symptoms: usually about 1 week
Common symptoms:
(1) fever
(2) sore throat
(3) pain on swallowing
Common findings:
(1) pharyngitis with mucosal hyperemia
(2) small vesicles (1 to 4 mm in diameter that may ulcerate) on the pharynx, tonsillar pillars, uvula and soft palate
Herpangina differs from hand-foot-mouth disease in that the lesions are limited to the pharynx, without lesions on the hands, feet or buttocks
Common enteroviruses associated with herpangina:
(1) Coxsackie A:
(2) Coxsackie B
(3) Enterovirus (EV): EV71
(4) echovirus
Herpangina may also be caused by adenovirus and Herpes simplex virus (HSV).
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Specialty: Infectious Diseases, Gastroenterology, Pedatrics
