What does chicken pox look like? This question is often asked by parents of young patients. Many childhood infections occur with skin rashes. To distinguish them from chickenpox, you need to know the main signs of this disease. This infection is widespread and easily transmitted. The disease is considered predominantly childish, but an adult can also become infected. The older the patient, the more severe the pathology.
Pathogen and transmission routes
Chickenpox occurs as a result of ingestion of the herpes virus of the third type. This microorganism is otherwise called Varicella-Zoster or Herpes Zoster. It affects the cells of the skin and nervous system.
Infection is very easily transmitted. If a person has never suffered this disease in his life, then the probability of infection upon contact with a sick chickenpox is 100%. The virus spreads in the following ways:
- Airborne. This is the most common way of infection. A sick person releases pathogens when talking, coughing and sneezing. The entry of the virus into the mucous membrane of the respiratory organs leads to the disease. Children often become infected in preschool and school institutions if there is at least one sick child in the team. Adults working as educators and teachers are also susceptible to the disease.
- Contact. Bubbles appear on the skin of the patient, which are very itchy. When combed, they open up. If the contents of the rash gets on the skin of a he althy person, then infection occurs.
- Intrauterine. This route of infection is rare. If a woman gets chickenpox in the last stages of pregnancy, she can infect the baby. Usually newborns rarely suffer from this disease, as they are protected from infection by antibodies from the mother's breast milk.
There is a misconception that chickenpox can be contracted through third parties who have been in contact with the patient. But such infection is impossible, since the virus is unstable to the external environment.
After the illness, the patient develops strong immunity. However, the herpes virus, once it enters the body, remains there forever. It lives in nerve cells throughout a person's life. When immunity is weakened, the microorganism can be activated. The person resumes symptoms of the disease, but in a very mild form. However, in adults, it often manifests itself in the form of shingles. This pathology occurs inpatients who had chicken pox in childhood. It is also caused by a herpes infection of the third type. It is important to remember that a person with shingles can also catch chickenpox.
Stages of disease
In medicine, the following stages of chickenpox are distinguished:
- Incubation period. At this time, the virus enters the mucous membrane of the throat and nose and begins to multiply.
- Prodromal period. The infection enters the bloodstream, the immune system begins to react to a foreign agent.
- Acute stage. The virus reaches the skin cells and roots of the spinal cord.
- The stage of recovery. The microorganism is fixed in the nerve cells and remains there forever.
How contagious is chickenpox? The risk of infection transmission exists during the incubation period, in the prodromal and acute stages. During the recovery phase, the patient is no longer contagious 5 days after the rash has cleared.
Incubation period
The incubation period lasts from 10 days to 3 weeks. At this stage of chickenpox, there are no signs of the disease. But, if you carry out a diagnosis, you can detect a virus and antibodies in the patient's blood. However, at this stage, the pathology is almost never determined, since the person feels normal and does not go to the doctor.
Prodromal period
Prodromal period lasts 1-2 days. The first signs of chickenpox appear. They resemble the symptoms of a cold or flu. At this stage, it is very difficult to distinguish chickenpox from other diseases.
There is a general malaise,headache, loss of appetite, sometimes nausea and vomiting. The temperature during chickenpox rises to 38-39 degrees. The fever lasts 2 to 5 days.
At this stage, there is no rash yet. The virus has not yet reached the skin cells. Therefore, the question of what chickenpox looks like in the prodromal period can be answered that there are no external manifestations of the infection yet. Small red spots on the chest may only appear, which quickly disappear. But this is a manifestation of general intoxication of the body, and not damage to skin cells.
Chickenpox in children is milder than in adolescents and adults. In a small child during the prodromal period, the temperature may be slightly increased. In adulthood, the initial stage of chickenpox resembles the symptoms of a severe flu. At the same time, there is no inflammation in the throat and runny nose. Feeling very weak, body aches and headache.
Acute stage
At the acute stage, a rash appears. This is the most characteristic symptom of the disease. The temperature with chickenpox also persists, it continues for another 2-4 days.
It is important for doctors and parents of children to know about the nature of the rashes in this disease. First, red spots appear on the skin. This type of rash is called roseola. They cover the entire body and are small in size (up to 1 mm). The patient is worried about severe itching. During this period, there are difficulties in diagnosing the disease. Even experts sometimes mistake the first signs of chickenpox in the acute stage for manifestations of other infections orallergies.
However, the period of rashes in the form of roseola does not last long, only a few hours. Very quickly, red spots turn into seals (papules), and then a vesicular rash occurs. What does windmill look like during this period? The human skin is littered with fluid bubbles.
The patient is tormented by constant itching, because of this there are scratches on the skin. For this reason, infection of the vesicles occurs. Pustules form on the skin - pustules.
The formation of vesicles and pustules is a characteristic symptom of chickenpox. At this stage of the disease, an experienced infectious disease specialist can easily make a diagnosis based on the appearance of the patient. Rashes cover not only the skin of the face, body and limbs. They form on the mucous membranes of the mouth and genitals, sometimes in the throat and on the conjunctiva. Vesicles and pustules also appear on the head, because of this, after the illness, there is a strong hair loss. However, this manifestation is more common in adults. Chickenpox in children occurs in a milder form and with fewer rashes.
Recovery period
Approximately on the 6-8th day of illness, a significant improvement occurs. The temperature drops, the state of he alth returns to normal. The symptoms of chickenpox gradually disappear. The rashes dry up. They are covered with crusts, which subsequently fall off. Scars form at the site of the rash. Over time, the condition of the skin improves. For life, only single scars can remain, formed at the site of large vesicles and pustules. The healing process may take a different time, it depends on the ability of the epithelium to regenerate. People who had chickenpox as children usually don't leave visible marks on their skin.
Disease forms
In addition to the classic form of chickenpox, there are varieties of this disease that occur with a peculiar clinical picture. There are the following atypical forms of pathology:
- Rudimentary. Fever and intoxication are mild. The rash may be absent. Sometimes single spots or vesicles are visible on the skin.
- Atypical. This form of the disease can be both mild and severe. In the first case, there is practically no rash, the patient's condition is slightly disturbed. In severe form, unusual rashes and a sharp deterioration in well-being are noted.
- Bullous. Vesicles on the skin coalesce and form large vesicles with yellowish contents. After this form of the disease, the skin does not heal for a long time.
- Hemorrhagic. It usually occurs in patients with blood disorders. It is very rare, has a poor prognosis and can be fatal. What does chicken pox look like in such a dangerous form? Bubbles on the skin are filled with bloody contents. In addition, the disease is accompanied by bleeding from the nose, gums and gastrointestinal tract.
- Gangrenous. This form of the disease is rare, mainly in people with severe immunodeficiency. Areas of dead skin may be seen around the rash. The vesicles are large (up to several centimeters), filled with pus and blood, after they are opened, long-term non-healing ulcers form. The patient's condition is rapidly deteriorating. This form of the disease poses a serious threat to life.
- Generalized. Occurs in patients with severely reduced immunity or on the background of corticosteroid therapy. It is characterized by an extremely serious condition of the patient, severe intoxication. Vesicles and pustules are formed not only on the skin and mucous membranes, but also on the internal organs.
Possible Complications
Chickenpox causes complications in about 5% of cases. More often, severe consequences of the disease occur in adolescents and adults, in children under 1 year old, as well as in people with suppressed immunity. The following complications of the disease are noted:
- Congenital malformations in newborns. Chickenpox during pregnancy is very dangerous for the unborn baby. As already mentioned, infection in the last stages of gestation can lead to intrauterine infection of the child. If a woman has had an infection during the period from the 12th to the 20th week of pregnancy, then this can cause anomalies in the development of the embryo. In addition, infection with chickenpox often causes miscarriage.
- Secondary skin infection. During the acute stage of chickenpox, a person combs the skin. Microorganisms penetrate the epithelium, abscesses and boils appear. The most severe complication is sepsis. To prevent infection of wounds, patients are advised to cut their nails short.
- Pneumonia. In adults, chickenpox can be complicated by pneumonia. There is a cough with sputum, shortness of breath and chest pain. But very often the diseaseis asymptomatic and difficult to detect.
- The entry of the virus with the bloodstream into other organs. Such complications usually occur in adults with severe forms of the disease. Infection through the circulatory system can enter the brain, heart, joints, respiratory organs, kidneys. Inflammatory processes occur in the organs.
- Chickenpox balanoposthitis and vulvitis. These diseases occur in adult men and women. Rashes in the genital area can cause extensive inflammation of the penis or vagina.
- Shingles. This disease is rather not a complication, but a recurrence of chickenpox, as the herpes virus continues to live in the body. Pathology can occur in a person who has had an infection years and even decades after recovery. The weakening of the immune system provokes the onset of the disease. There are rashes on the skin in the region of the roots of the spinal cord and severe neuralgic pain. Usually one side of the body is affected.
To prevent the development of complications, it is necessary to consult a doctor at the initial stage of chickenpox. Even if the patient does not have a rash, a fever and general malaise should warrant a visit to an infectious disease specialist.
Disease diagnosis
An experienced doctor can diagnose acute chickenpox without much difficulty. The specialist determines the disease by history, clinical picture and the nature of skin rashes.
Laboratory tests are usually not required. In rare cases, when the disease isatypical, and there are doubts about the diagnosis, they prescribe tests for antibodies and DNA of the virus.
Treatment methods
Chickenpox treatment can only be symptomatic. Medicines that can remove the virus from the body have not yet been developed. The immune system is able to fight infection on its own. However, this does not mean that you can leave the disease without drug treatment. Medicines are needed to relieve the symptoms of chickenpox, prevent complications and help the body overcome the spread of the infection.
In the first days of illness, patients have a fever. Do I need to take antipyretics? It is possible and necessary to bring down the fever, but not all medicines are suitable for this. For example, "Aspirin" and "Analgin" should not be used. These drugs put too much stress on the central nervous system and liver. The child can be given "Panadol" or other children's medicines with paracetamol. In adults, the disease often occurs in a severe form with high fever. For them, preparations with ibuprofen and paracetamol are suitable.
In the first days of illness, when the temperature is high, you need to observe bed rest. It is necessary to drink more fluids (tea with lemon, rosehip decoction, mineral water) to remove toxins from the body.
When chickenpox, the patient is worried about severe itching. To reduce this unpleasant manifestation of the disease, antihistamines are prescribed: Suprastin, Tavegil, Fenistil,"Claritin". Wiping with a solution of water with vinegar or alcohol helps adults.
In the treatment of chickenpox, antiviral agents are used: Acyclovir, Interferon and Cycloferon. They cannot completely destroy the pathogen, but reduce its reproduction and stimulate the immune system. The use of antibiotics is ineffective, since the disease is not caused by a bacterium, but by a virus. However, in the event of a secondary streptococcal infection on the skin, the appointment of antibacterial drugs is indicated.
Be sure to use local products to treat rashes. These include the following antiseptic solutions:
- diamond green;
- iodine;
- fucorcin;
- potassium permanganate.
However, these drugs have one significant drawback - they stain the skin. It looks unaesthetic, especially on the face. Therefore, recently doctors recommend using Calamine lotion for chickenpox. This remedy consists of zinc oxide and the natural mineral calamine. The drug does not leave marks on the skin, while drying the rash, preventing infection and reducing inflammation.
In addition, the lotion "Calamine" with chickenpox eliminates itching, as it has cooling properties. This safe and effective remedy has become widespread these days.
As alreadyIt was mentioned that rashes with chickenpox affect not only the skin, but also the mucous membrane of the mouth. Therefore, it is necessary to rinse several times a day with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Chickenpox vaccine
The disease leaves lifelong immunity. It used to be thought that having chickenpox in childhood is even beneficial, as it protects against infection in adulthood, when the disease is much more severe. However, it has now been established that the virus settles in the body forever and can be activated when immunity falls. A person who has had chickenpox is at risk of getting a recurrence of the disease in the form of shingles.
Therefore, it is better to protect yourself from chickenpox infection with the help of vaccination. The vaccines Varilrix and Okavax have been developed. They contain a live weakened causative agent of the disease. Doctors recommend that children aged 1-2 years be vaccinated. Adults can also administer these drugs. Vaccination is especially recommended for women planning pregnancy, patients with immunodeficiency, employees of medical and children's institutions. This will help prevent chickenpox and shingles.
