Quick answer: yes, adults can catch hand, foot, and mouth disease. It is most common in children younger than 5, but anyone can get it, and adults usually pick it up from a child at home or at work. It causes fever, a sore throat, painful mouth sores, and a rash on the hands and feet. Nearly everyone recovers in 7 to 10 days with fluids, rest, and pain relief.
Symptoms in adults
Symptoms usually begin 3 to 5 days after exposure:
- First: fever, sore throat, reduced appetite, and feeling unwell
- A day or two later: painful sores in the mouth that start as small red spots, often on the tongue and the inside of the cheeks, and then blister
- Rash: flat or slightly raised red spots, sometimes with blisters, on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. It can also appear on the buttocks, legs, and arms.
In adults the spots on the hands and feet are often tender or painful rather than itchy, and walking or gripping can be uncomfortable for a few days. Some adults have only a sore throat or no symptoms at all, yet can still pass the virus to others.
What causes it, and how it spreads
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is caused by a group of viruses called enteroviruses, most often coxsackieviruses. It is not related to foot-and-mouth disease in farm animals. The virus spreads through:
- Droplets from coughing, sneezing, or talking
- Fluid from blisters
- Stool, for example when changing diapers
- Contaminated surfaces and objects such as toys and doorknobs
How long it lasts, and how long you are contagious
The illness usually runs 7 to 10 days. People are most contagious during the first week. The virus can remain in the stool for weeks after symptoms are gone, so wash hands carefully after using the toilet and after diaper changes even when everyone is feeling well again.
Home care
- Drink plenty of fluids. Cold drinks, ice chips, and popsicles are soothing.
- Take acetaminophen or ibuprofen for fever and pain, if those are safe for you.
- Choose soft, cool foods, and avoid citrus, tomato, salty, and spicy foods while mouth sores are raw.
- Rinsing with warm salt water can ease mouth pain in adults and in older children who can rinse without swallowing.
- Leave blisters alone and keep them clean.
Antibiotics do not treat hand, foot, and mouth disease, and there is no vaccine available in the United States.
When can I go back to work?
Stay home while you have a fever or feel too unwell to work. Because the virus can be shed after you recover, handwashing matters more than an exact number of days. If you work in food service, health care, or child care, ask your employer about its return-to-work policy. Children can return to school or child care when they have no fever, feel well enough to take part, and do not have uncontrolled drooling from mouth sores.
Complications are rare, but know the signs
- Dehydration is the most common problem, when mouth sores make it too painful to drink.
- Nail loss: a fingernail or toenail can loosen or fall off a few weeks after the illness. The nail grows back.
- Viral meningitis is very rare. Symptoms are fever, headache, and a stiff neck.
- Inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) is extremely rare.
If you are pregnant and have been exposed or have symptoms, let your obstetric provider know, particularly if you are close to your due date.
When to come to urgent care
- You or your child cannot drink enough, or there are signs of dehydration such as very dark urine, little urine, or dizziness
- A fever lasts longer than 3 days
- Symptoms are not improving after 10 days
- The person who is sick has a weakened immune system
- A baby younger than 6 months has symptoms
- You are not sure whether the rash is hand, foot, and mouth disease, since chickenpox, strep infection, cold sores, and allergic rashes can look similar
Go to the emergency room or call 911 for a severe headache with a stiff neck, confusion, unusual sleepiness, trouble breathing, or weakness in an arm or leg.
We see adults and children 6 months and older. Learn more about our pediatric urgent care and our skin conditions and infections service.
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Advanced Urgent Care of Pasadena is at 797 S Arroyo Pkwy, Pasadena, next to Petco, with free on-site parking. We are open Monday through Friday 8 AM to 8 PM and Saturday and Sunday 9 AM to 5 PM, and we take our last patient 30 minutes before closing. We serve Pasadena, South Pasadena, Altadena, San Marino, Alhambra, and nearby communities. Questions? Call (626) 304-0404.
Sources
This article is general health information and is not a substitute for an examination by a medical provider. If you think you are having a medical emergency, call 911.