infections
Overview of Enterovirus Infections
Diseases Caused by Enteroviruses
The following diseases are caused almost exclusively by enteroviruses: Acute flaccid myelitis (enterovirus D68) respiratory infection Epidemic pleurodynia (Bornholm disease) None Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease None Herpangina None Polio and Other diseases, such as Introduction to Meningitis , Meningitis is inflammation of the layers of tissue that cover the brain and spinal cord (meninges) and of the fluid-filled space between the meninges (subarachnoid space). Viral Meningitis refers to meningitis that is caused by anything other than the bacteria that typically cause meningitis. This disease is most common among infants and children. Aseptic meningitis that is caused by an enterovirus rarely causes a rash. Aseptic meningitis causes fever, severe headache, vomiting, a stiff neck, and sensitivity to light. Children may rarely also develop a viral brain infection ( Encephalitis ). Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain and can cause fever, vomiting, headache, confusion, weakness, seizures, and coma. Enterovirus D68 causes a respiratory illness in children that usually resembles a cold. Children have a runny nose, cough, and generally feel ill, typically with only a slight fever if any. Some children, particularly those who have Asthma in Children , have more serious symptoms such as wheezing and difficulty breathing. Adults can be infected, but they tend to have few or no symptoms. There was an increase in severe illnesses caused by enterovirus D68 in 2014, 2016, and 2018. Some of the infected children had severe respiratory distress. In addition, in some children the spinal cord was affected, causing weakness or paralysis of one of their arms or legs, a condition called acute flaccid myelitis (AFM). Several children died during each spike of infections. Doctors are not sure whether the enterovirus infection was the main cause of these complications or whether the virus merely happened to be present in children who also had other disorders. (See alsoCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): About Acute Flaccid Myelitis.) Epidemic pleurodynia is most common among children. Epidemic pleurodynia affects the muscles of the chest, causing severe pain, often on one side of the lower chest or upper abdomen making breathing uncomfortable. Other common symptoms of epidemic pleurodynia include fever and often headache and a sore throat. Symptoms usually lessen in 2 to 4 days but may return within a few days and continue or return for several weeks. Infectious Conjunctivitis involves inflammation of the eyes. The eyelids swell rapidly. This disease may lead to bleeding ( People usually recover in 1 to 2 weeks. Herpangina most commonly affects infants and children. Children suddenly develop fever with a sore throat, headache, loss of appetite, and frequently neck pain. Infants may vomit. Within 2 days of the start of the disease, grayish bumps develop inside the mouth and throat. The bumps become painful sores, which heal in 1 to 7 days. Despite the name, this enteroviral disease has nothing to do with herpesvirus infection or the heart problem called angina. Sometimes mothers pass on enteroviruses to their newborn during delivery. Usually, several days after birth, infected newborns suddenly develop a severe, generalized illness similar to Sepsis in Newborns . They have fever, are very sleepy, and have bleeding, and the virus can damage parts of many organs and tissues, causing multiple organ failure (including Newborns may recover within a few weeks, but death may occur, particularly if heart failure or other severe organ damage is present. Myopericarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle (myocardium) and/or the sac that covers the heart (pericardium). The heart infection may occur at any age, but most people are 20 to 39 years old. People may have chest pain, Overview of Abnormal Heart Rhythms , or Newborns who are affected at birth (myocarditis neonatorum) have fever and heart failure. Heart failure causes difficulty breathing and poor feeding. Many infants die. 