From skin to hair, scabs and even tears, the external appearance of the body can offer clues about the state of your health.
But there’s another part of the anatomy that’s often overlooked: the feet.
Feet are wired up to nerve fibre tracts from the brain so you can stand, balance and wiggle your toes. They’re also plumbed by blood vessels, which lead all the way from the heart.
The appearance and function of our feet, then, can indicate viral infections, diseases of the cardiovascular system and even neurological disorders. Here are a couple of examples.
Infectious diseases tend to affect different parts of the body.
Measles usually starts off on the face, or in the mouth, as little spots that look like grains of sugar. Pityriasis versicolor, a type of fungal infection tends to begin and stay on the torso. The reasons why they tend to affect these areas is not well understood.
HFM disease begins in exactly these areas. It’s caused by a virus known as coxsackie, and tends to produce raised pink-red spots, that can blister and weep. The name is a bit of a misnomer — the rash can also affect the legs and buttocks too. Noticing a new rash on the feet should prompt a doctor to consider HFM.
HFM is a common childhood illness that’s very contagious. Thankfully, it’s also usually........