Chickenpox, or chicken pox, is one of the infectious diseases. If you believe the statistics, then 80% of the population of our planet manages to get sick with this virus in childhood, before the age of five. But the older a person becomes, the more difficult the disease is tolerated. If you get sick in childhood, then strong immunity is developed, and the risk of re-infection is practically reduced to zero. In this article, we will learn how chickenpox occurs in adolescents and how you can alleviate the condition of a young person during this period.
Chickenpox frequency
In order to get an answer to the question of this section, you need to turn to statistics again. If we take the Russian Federation specifically, then here ten percent of all cases of chickenpox occur precisely in young people aged twelve to fifteen years. And the disease at this age is extremely difficult.
Significantly aggravates the situation and the fact that it is at this age that various hormonalchanges in the body, and as a result of this, the child's immunity is greatly reduced. In addition, changes are taking place in the physiology of the body, the body is more sensitive to stress, even the most minor infections are more difficult to tolerate than usual.
Who is affected
Most often, chickenpox disease occurs in those adolescents whose immunity is severely weakened. This is especially true for boys and girls who have chronic oncological diseases. At risk are also those children who did not have this disease at an early age, which means that stable immunity has not been developed.
Infection is transmitted very simply - as a result of bodily contact with the carrier or by airborne droplets. An infected person can be found anywhere: at school, in the gym, in a cafe, and a person may not even know about the course of this infection in his body, because the incubation period lasts twenty-one days. And during this time, the disease may not manifest itself in any way.
In a teenager over fourteen years of age, chickenpox will be more difficult as a result of hypothermia or due to severe nervous strain. These are favorable conditions for the development of infection.
Signs of chickenpox in a teenager
The first symptoms may not be immediately noticeable. Usually they appear no earlier than the eleventh day after infection. In some cases, even later - after twenty-one days. A teenager will have chickenpoxbehave in much the same way as a preschooler. On the first day, you can observe an unexpected increase in body temperature, there is severe weakness, headache, drowsiness, and lymph nodes may increase.
The rash on the body appears the very next day. Moreover, this process takes place in several stages. First, at the site of the papule, the skin turns very red, and after that, a blister appears at this place, which is filled with liquid. A few days after its appearance, the blister bursts and leaves erosion in its place, which dries up and becomes covered with a crust within a day. This phenomenon is not one-time and for the entire duration of the course of the disease can be repeated three or four times. Usually, two weeks pass from the moment the first blister appears on the body until the last one crusts over. If, after this period, new blisters stop appearing on the body, then this is a clear sign that the patient is beginning to recover.
After healing of all wounds, pink spots remain in their place, which eventually acquire their original color. However, this is not the case for all recovering teenagers.
Features of the disease
Everyone knows that teenagers are especially emotional people. And this is due to the fact that at the age of fifteen or sixteen, the hormonal processes that take place in the body cause mental instability. Some situations at home or school often lead to the fact that a teenager experiences prolonged stress, which, in turn,turn, reduces immunity and can contribute to the appearance of chickenpox, which will be especially difficult.
The body temperature rises quite sharply and can exceed the mark of forty degrees. The temperature is accompanied by severe headaches, muscle weakness is observed, symptoms of acute intoxication are noticeable. If you watch a teenager, you will notice that he has muscle twitching and severe photophobia. Rashes can appear not only on the body itself, but also in the nose, mouth, bladder and genitals.
Each blister starts to itch so badly that even an adult can't stand the itching. Teenagers comb the blisters, which can not be done. If the blisters burst prematurely, then suppuration may begin in their place.
Duration of disease
Chickenpox in adolescents 14 years of age and older usually lasts no more than three weeks, but only when timely and proper treatment is started. After the end of the disease, the body develops immunity to the disease and the risk of re-infection is practically reduced to zero.
It is not recommended to self-treat chickenpox at the age of twelve years and older, as it is extremely difficult and can have very serious consequences, especially if the treatment is carried out using the wrong drugs. Some doctors are even of the opinion that it is better for a patient in this condition to stay in a hospital. However, it is difficult to say exactly how long chickenpox goes through in adolescents,since each case of the disease is individual and requires a special approach and attention.
Possible Complications
If the infection was especially difficult during adolescence, then after recovery, some complications are possible. These include:
- Appearance of age spots on the body.
- Scars may appear where the blisters heal.
- Purulent formations remain on the body, which lead to the formation of fasciitis or phlegmon.
- There is a risk of abscess and pyoderma.
But the appearance of elements of a rash on the body is not the worst thing you can imagine. Since in some cases they are formed on the internal organs, which leads to the development of chickenpox pneumonia if the virus enters the lungs. With the bloodstream, chickenpox can also enter the brain, which causes the development of meningitis. There is a risk of complete loss of vision if the cellular parasite settles on the whites of the eyes.
Dangerous phenomena also include a large accumulation of rashes in one area of the skin. There is a possibility that gangrene may develop in such a place.
It is important to start treatment in a timely manner, and if the process is started, then there is a real risk of getting sepsis - an infectious infection of the blood. Most of these cases end in death due to intoxication.
If the chickenpox in a teenager is normal, then treatment can be carried out at home. It is enough just to isolate the patient, laying him in a separate room. During this period, you should observe bed rest and drink a lot. If the child attendsacademic institution, then the class or group where he goes is quarantined. This process is controlled by the sanitary and epidemiological station.
Treatment of chickenpox in adolescents
Before starting the treatment of chickenpox, it is necessary to accurately confirm the diagnosis, which is possible only when examined by a dermatologist. After confirming it, the doctor must draw up a therapeutic regimen according to which the treatment will be carried out.
The first step is to bring down the temperature, and paracetamol or ibuprofen are most often used for this. Itching is removed quite simply, doctors recommend the use of drugs such as: "Suprastin", "Diazolin" or "Fenistil". Decoctions of chamomile, oak bark or sage also help well.
Skin rashes should be treated regularly with antibacterial ointments or antiseptic solutions. You can use brilliant green or a solution of potassium permanganate for this. It is they who can help ensure that bacterial components do not join the infection. Chickenpox is easier to tolerate if the patient takes antiviral drugs during treatment. Acyclovir was especially popular in the fight against this infection.
To avoid serious complications, it is recommended to administer immunoglobulin to the patient, which will help the body cope with the disease. Many are interested in the question of when you can swim with chickenpox in teenagers. The teenager is not allowed to swim until the body temperature has returned tonorm. Shower can be taken without the use of shampoos, soaps, washcloths. A short rinse in warm water will suffice. After bathing, do not rub the body with a towel. It is only allowed to lightly blot it.
Chickenpox Prevention in Adolescents
Scientists have not yet come up with a better way of prevention in adolescence than vaccination. You can get this vaccine at any age. A child under the age of thirteen will only need a single dose of the vaccine. The injection is usually given in the shoulder or under the shoulder blade.
Adults and children over thirteen receive two shots every ten years. Experts say that only one percent of vaccinated children and adults showed signs of a mild stage of the disease, which quickly and without complications.
Each parent should not forget that chickenpox is especially difficult for teenagers. And the older a person becomes, the more difficult it will be for him to endure this disease. But do not rush to get vaccinated if at preschool age you did not find manifestations of chickenpox in your child. Since in babies it can proceed so imperceptibly that parents do not pay attention to the appearance of a couple of pimples that quickly disappear. Before vaccinating a teenager against chickenpox, you need to take an antibody test to make sure that he did not have the disease in childhood. Because vaccination can lead to reinfection.
Effective drug
Very popular among doctorsuses the Calamine lotion, which has proven itself on the positive side for quite a long time. For almost twenty years, Calamine has received only positive reviews and is able to cure many skin diseases.
This drug in a short period can save from itching, relieve inflammation, dries the dermis well, which is especially important for chickenpox, and when used, swelling and irritation quickly disappear, the skin cools and calms down. For its not too high price, Calamine lotion works real miracles in the manifestation of many skin diseases.
Contraindications to the use of Calamine
Before using each drug, you must study the instructions in order to avoid unforeseen consequences. However, the reviews about "Calamine" and the instructions themselves say that it has no contraindications and can be used for children from birth. The only contraindication to use can only be individual intolerance to any components of the drug.
It is important to know that the price of Calamine lotion depends on the pharmacy where it was purchased. However, if we talk about averages, then the cost is approximately seven hundred rubles. This is not a very expensive drug, especially considering its properties and ability to get rid of the problem.
Conclusion
The article was maximally disclosed the question of how chickenpox occurs in young people. We looked at the symptoms of chickenpox, treatment andincubation period in adolescents. As you can see, the disease at this age is extremely difficult, but with properly organized treatment and patient care, you can quickly get rid of this disease and get a minimum of consequences for the child.
