Stomatitis
By Bjarne Lühr Hansen PhD, MD and Philipp Skafte-Holm MD, Mentor Institute
Stomatitis is caused by a virus. The illness starts with a fever. After a few days, blisters appear in the mouth. Later, grey-yellow blisters around the lips appear. The child does not want to eat or drink. The illness passes by itself in the course of 10 to 14 days. If your child does not want to drink and becomes drowsy and weak, you must call the doctor immediately.
Stomatitis especially appears with children of the age of 2 to 4 years. The illness begins with a fever (38-39ºC). In the course of 1 to 2 days grey-white blisters appear in the mouth. The gums turn red, swell up and bleed easily. The blisters burst fast and turn into superficial wounds. After a few more days, the blisters spread to the lips and the skin surrounding the mouth. The glands in the throat below the jaws enhance and become sore.
Since the wounds in the mouth hurts, often the child will not eat or drink. It is not of great importance that the child will not eat but the intake of fluid is necessary. If the child does not drink, it will dehydrate and that can be dangerous. If the child is dehydrated, it will stop urinating and become weak and drowsy. It takes around one week before the wounds have healed up so the child can eat and drink normally.
Stomatitis is caused by a certain virus – called herpes type 1 virus. It is the same virus that causes cold sore on the lips. The herpes virus cannot be removed completely when it has first entered the body. The virus is dormant for the most of the time but is triggered in certain situations – for example when you are exposed to cold or sun – and can be a real bother. Typically, the child has stomatitis the first time it is attacked by herpes type 1 virus. The child will thereafter develop a cold sore on the lips when the virus is triggered.
Stomatitis disappears by itself in the course of 1 to 2 weeks.