Hand, foot and mouth disease with encephalomyelitis in adult: A case report

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) complications rarely develop in adults. We present a case of a 21-year-old woman with an acute onset of impaired consciousness, ptosis, and limb weakness. She had a history of close contact with an HFMD patient, fever, vesicles on her hands and nasopharynx, and decreased limb muscle power. The results of the head and spinal cord MRI and RT-PCR of cerebrospinal fluid and throat, skin lesion, and anal swabs confirmed enterovirus 71-induced encephalomyelitis. She received a single dose of IVIG therapy and fully recovered. Our report further confirms the possibilities of HFMD with severe neurological complications in adults. A history of contact with HFMD patients and lesions on the skin and mucosa, even unobvious, help diagnose the disease. Confirming central nervous system involvement requires cerebrospinal fluid analysis and brain and spinal cord MRI. Prompt IVIG treatment could help reduce fever, skin lesions, and recovery time.