Herpangina

Description

• Highly contagious viral infection primarily affecting infants and children, characterized by painful oral lesions
• Oral lesions are usually limited to mucosa of posterior oropharynx
  • often involves anterior tonsillar pillars and soft palate
  • other common locations include uvula and tonsils
  • rare locations include posterior buccal surfaces and dorsal tip of tongue

Diagnosis

• Diagnosis usually made clinically based on characteristic oral lesions and accompanying fever in children ≤ 5 years old¹
• Diagnosis may be confirmed by serum antibodies and/or virus culture from intact vesicles, but clinical diagnosis usually sufficient¹

Management

• Treatment usually symptomatic due to mild, self-limiting nature of infection
  • palliative mouth rinses and gargles may reduce pain from oral lesions
  • avoid steroid-containing preparations
• No evidence for benefit with any currently available antiviral therapy