Oral herpes symptoms in children

There are many common diseases in children. When treating children's diseases, we cannot choose treatment methods at will, especially when the disease is not clear. Parents cannot let their children receive disease treatment, which will have a great impact on the child's body and induce a variety of problems. Oral herpes is very common in children. There are many causes of this disease. What are the symptoms of oral herpes in children?

Symptoms of oral herpes in children:

Primary herpes simplex (the typical infection in children) can cause acute herpetic gingivostomatitis. It is usually caused by herpes simplex virus type 1, but can also be caused by herpes simplex virus type 2 through oral-genital contact. It appears as small blisters at first, which quickly break and form ulcers. When localized at first, it may resemble aphthous stomatitis, but primary herpes often invades the attached gingiva and other tissues, whereas aphthous stomatitis never invades the attached gingiva. Fever and pain often occur with herpes. Difficulty eating and drinking can lead to dehydration. The infection typically lasts 10 to 14 days. The virus then migrates to the semilunar ganglia and may be reactivated by stress, changes in the immune system, or trauma.

Treatment is symptomatic. These include systemic analgesia (such as acetaminophen) and topical anesthetics applied directly with cotton swabs (such as 0.5% daclonin solution or 2% to 20% benzocaine ointment). When the lesion is large, a 5% viscous solution of lidocaine can be used as a mouthwash and gargled for 5 minutes before eating (Note: Do not swallow lidocaine, as this drug can anesthetize the oropharynx, hypopharynx, and may even anastomoses, so children must be monitored for signs of aspiration).

In secondary herpes simplex, cold ulcers appear on the vermilion border of the lip or, less commonly, on the mucosa of the hard palate. Patients often have prodromal symptoms, typically tingling and burning sensations in the lips. During the prodromal stage, oral acyclovir 200 mg 5 times a day can reduce the duration and severity of attacks, and topical acyclovir is not helpful for treatment.

Application of 1% penciclovir ointment every 2 hours can reduce the duration of the lesions. This agent should be started during the prodromal period or immediately before lesions appear. An acute inflammatory mucocutaneous disease caused by the human herpes simplex virus. More than 90% of oral herpes simplex is caused by herpes simplex virus. The disease occurs due to factors such as fever, cold, indigestion, fatigue, sun exposure, etc. which induce a decrease in the body's resistance.

The clinical manifestations are generally acute, more common in children under 3 years old, especially infants from 6 months to 2 years old, with obvious prodromal symptoms such as fever, headache, fatigue, refusal to eat, irritability, etc. The oral mucosa becomes congested, and clusters of small transparent blisters ranging in size from needle tips to rice grains appear on the surface. After the blisters rupture, they fuse into larger superficial erosions or ulcers covered with pseudomembranes, causing obvious pain. The child's gums are red, swollen and purple-red, and bleed easily when touched lightly.

After understanding the symptoms of oral herpes in children, the treatment of oral herpes in children needs to be carried out according to the patient's symptoms. However, it should be noted that the treatment time of such a disease is relatively long. During the treatment, children should choose light food and not eat complex food. At the same time, they should eat small meals frequently, which will not affect the children's body.