Probably, there is no such person in the world who does not know and has never heard of such a disease as chickenpox. Small, red and always itchy vesicles on the skin, the persistent smell of brilliant green that accompanies them is difficult to confuse with something else. More often than others, children get sick with chickenpox at preschool age, a little less often during education in elementary school. Despite this, there is a risk of getting sick in more mature years. Especially it is necessary to be afraid of an insidious disease during pregnancy. Why is chickenpox dangerous for pregnant women? Let's try to figure it out.
General information
Chickenpox is an acute infectious disease transmitted by airborne droplets. Another name is chicken pox. However, despite the semantic similarity with the most dangerous disease of the Middle Ages, it rarely led and leads to death. Interestingly, the susceptibility to it is almost one hundred percent, which indicates the impossibility of avoiding infection by once coming into contact with the source of infection.
Causedevelopment of the disease is the Varicella Zoster virus. It can cause not only chickenpox, but also shingles (in case of recurrence of the disease). It is important to note that the rash during chickenpox does not spread throughout the body. It does not affect the feet and hands, unlike an enterovirus infection, which is often confused with chickenpox.
Symptoms of the disease
Before you begin to understand what chickenpox is dangerous for, you need to consider its main manifestations. As many people know, the main symptom of chickenpox is the appearance on the body of a rash in the form of small red vesicles - vesicles filled with liquid. Their spread is accompanied by severe itching. Vesicles do not affect the growth layer of the skin, so they pass over time without leaving marks (in case the rash has not been combed).
The process of the appearance and spread of the rash is accompanied by high body temperature and chills, general weakness, headache, pain in the bones and muscles - in fact, all manifestations of a feverish state. Migraine and vomiting may disturb, the reaction to light is exacerbated. The disease is severe only in adults: the relationship between age and the chance of a painful infection is directly proportional.
Chickenpox Danger
Answering questions about the danger of chickenpox and whether it is dangerous at all, you should first look at the statistics: there is 1 death per 60 thousand infected. This suggests that in most cases the disease goes awayfavorable. However, if the vesicles begin to fester, then there is a high probability of the disease transforming into a new, more dangerous form: gangrenous, hemorrhagic, bullous. If the mucous membranes are affected as a result of a rash around the eyes, their cornea can be severely damaged.
Deterioration of the patient's condition, in turn, leads to the possible development of other deadly life and he alth diseases: encephalitis, myocarditis, pandemic. Pathogenic bacteria can penetrate into the combed wounds, which, later getting into the blood, affect the internal organs. Fortunately, with proper care, chickenpox rarely causes serious complications.
Chickenpox in pregnancy
Is it dangerous to get chickenpox for pregnant girls and women? Certainly not pleasant. Moreover, chickenpox is one of the most dangerous diseases for a woman that she may encounter during pregnancy. If the expectant mother becomes infected during the 1st or 3rd trimester, then there is a possibility of infection of the fetus with chickenpox, which can end extremely badly. However, fortunately, statistics show that out of 1000 women who are expecting a child, only 6 get sick. Therefore, chickenpox is not a common disease in pregnant women.
It is also worth noting that chickenpox in medical practice is not the reason why termination of pregnancy becomes necessary. Also, answering the question of whether chickenpox is dangerous for pregnant women who have been ill, we can say that the risk of getting sickre-exists, but the varicella zoster virus will take a different form - the form of shingles.
Possible relapse
A person who once had chicken pox develops and retains antibodies to it, and develops strong immunity. However, the virus goes into a latent form, gaining a foothold in the body and becoming active in certain situations.
A recurrence of the disease in the form of shingles is possible if the expectant mother has a severely weakened immune system and the body is unable to contain the internal threat from the virus. The risk also increases if those who have already had the disease had a mild form of the disease. In any case, it will not be superfluous to take medical tests for the presence of antibodies to chicken pox in the body. A test for IgG antibodies to Varicella Zoster Virus costs an average of 800 rubles as of 2018.
Disease prevention
If the test shows a negative result, then the future mother has no immunity from chickenpox. In this case, 3 months before the planned conception and the onset of pregnancy, the chickenpox vaccine should be administered. At the moment, the vaccine is not only the most effective way to resist possible infection, but also necessary - it is dangerous for pregnant women to get chickenpox.
Vaccination against chickenpox has been carried out since 1974. In 2008, Russia approved the first chickenpox vaccine called Varilrix. Now there is a choice between two drugs - Varilrix and Okavax. There is no practical difference between them, the efficiency is the same. The average cost of a vaccine ranges from 3,500 to 5,000 rubles. It is contraindicated in people with pronounced immunodeficiency and pregnant women.
Chickenpox in the 1st and 3rd trimester of pregnancy
For a future mother who has contracted chickenpox while carrying a child, the first and third trimesters of pregnancy are especially dangerous. The placenta, which protects the fetus from negative external influences, including various viruses and infections, is formed only at 15-16 weeks. Why is chickenpox dangerous before the placenta is formed? The fact that the child in this period of time is absolutely defenseless against chickenpox and its detrimental effect on the developing organism. Infection in the first 14 weeks after conception is dangerous for the fetus due to the risk of developmental abnormalities in it. Between weeks 14 and 20, the risk increases to 2%, as opposed to the previous time, when the possibility of complications was only 0.4%.
During the second trimester, a routine ultrasound is performed, which can reveal whether the fetus has been infected with an infection. If a child develops pathologies that are incompatible with life, an artificial termination of pregnancy is performed. This is exactly what chickenpox is dangerous for pregnant women. Fortunately, the likelihood of such a development of events is extremely small. What's more, the chance of the fetus contracting an infection during the second trimester is reduced to zero.
However, the most dangerous thing for a pregnant woman to pick up chickenpox in the thirdtrimester, or rather, a few days before childbirth. The fact is that, passing through the birth canal, the baby is highly likely to become infected. His immunity has not yet been formed, and the placenta no longer protects against external dangers, including viruses.
With a probability of almost 20%, a child can catch chickenpox. How dangerous is chickenpox in a given period of time? It is extremely dangerous because it affects the internal organs of sick babies, which ends in death for them in 30% of cases. Therefore, if the infection occurs a few days before the planned birth, doctors try to delay it with medication, slow it down.
Chickenpox treatment
First of all, if you suspect chickenpox, you must visit a therapist and a gynecologist. If a pregnant woman has contracted an infection between the first and the 20th week, then she does not need specific treatment. It is enough just to smear the vesicles with brilliant green and take the drugs prescribed by the doctor. Treatment is carried out on an outpatient or inpatient basis, depending on the duration of pregnancy and the state of he alth of the patient.
Chickenpox is especially dangerous just before childbirth. In case of infection 4-5 days before the birth, the doctor must prescribe the immunoglobulin preparation to both the mother and the baby after birth. Chickenpox symptoms are relieved by the drug aciclovir, but only before the 20th week of pregnancy.
General conclusion
Chickenpox (or chickenpox) is an airborne disease that is characterized by100% infection index. It mainly affects children of preschool age, but adults are also susceptible to infection. Pregnant women are at the greatest risk of contracting chickenpox. When infected with the disease during the period of 20 weeks from the moment of conception, there is a 2% chance of developmental abnormalities in the fetus. The probability increases to 20% if the expectant mother gets chickenpox a few days before the birth. The second option is especially dangerous, since infection of the baby ends in death in a third of cases.
For pregnant women who have been ill, chickenpox is dangerous only if the woman's immunity is severely reduced. Then the virus, which has passed into a latent form, is activated again in the form of shingles. If the expectant mother has never had chickenpox, she should be vaccinated against chickenpox 3 months before the birth. If you are not lucky enough to get sick at the beginning of pregnancy or immediately before childbirth, then in such a state of affairs, the doctor usually prescribes an immunoglobulin drug that reduces the risk of infection of the fetus.
