Yu L, et al. - Researchers examined 266 adult patients with hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) and a control group of 40 healthy adults to systematically illustrate the epidemiological characteristics of adult HFMD. HFMD was more prevalent among females than males, with a female to male ratio of 1.13:1. Most of the cases were of housewives (62/266), students (33/266), and teachers (32/266). Among the 266 adult patients, 186, 93 and 12 patients had a child under 5 years of age, a child who had been diagnosed with HFMD in the family, and a child who had been diagnosed with recurrent HFMD, respectively. Findings suggest that latent infectious source of HFMD could be adult patients who have close contact with children. In this study, potential hazards of adult HFMD were revealed and further research into adult HFMD is recommended.