Chickenpox is an acute viral disease that is transmitted by airborne droplets. About 90% of all infected are children under the age of 14. However, chickenpox is also common among adults, who have a much more severe illness.
Manifestation of chicken pox
The virus, penetrating through the respiratory tract of a person, moves through the lymph nodes, and then enters the bloodstream.
The duration of the incubation period of the disease is from 11 to 23 days. The first sign of the onset of the disease is an increase in temperature to 37.5-38 degrees, and only after that a rash appears on the skin. Initially, it is presented in the form of small red spots, which in almost a few hours transform into bubbles. After 1-3 days, the bubbles burst and dry up, gradually forming a dense crust. If the crust is not subjected to injury, then after it falls off there will be no scars.
Disease forms
There are several typical forms of chickenpox:
- Easy. Humanfeels satisfactorily. Temperature indicators can be within the normal range or reach 38 degrees (it all depends on the individual characteristics of the body). The rash is not abundant, mainly present on the mucous membranes in the form of single elements. The duration of the rash is 2-4 days.
- Medium heavy. It is distinguished by mild intoxication, fever, profuse rashes, which are accompanied by itching. The duration of the rash is from 4 to 5 days. As the crust forms, the patient's condition improves.
- Heavy. There are abundant rashes on the skin, mucous membranes of the mouth, eyes, genitals. There is an increase in body temperature, vomiting is present, appetite decreases, insomnia develops, and very severe itching is present. The duration of the rash is from 7 to 9 days.
Atypical forms of the disease include the following:
- Rudimentary. Most often occurs in newborns. There are single papules with barely emerging vesicles. The child is feeling well, there is no increase in temperature.
- Generalized. Accompanied by manifestations of fever, severe intoxication is observed, there is a profuse rash on the skin and mucous membranes.
- Hemorrhagic. In addition to skin rashes, nosebleeds, vomiting of blood, and possible hemorrhages in internal organs are observed.
Chickenpox in pregnant women
Do women who are expecting a baby get chickenpox? Yes. Unfortunately, evenpregnant women are not immune from contracting chickenpox. It can even be said that women who are carrying a baby are more at risk of infection than others. Since the work of the immune system is aimed at protecting not only the woman, but also the fetus, it is rapidly weakening.
The onset of the disease also occurs through contact with a person whose chickenpox is at the stage of the incubation period.
With a mild form of the disease in a pregnant woman, the following symptoms can be observed:
- temperature increase;
- appearance of a rash on the skin and mucous membranes;
- there is a deterioration in general well-being;
- appetite decreases;
- woman gets tired quickly;
- pain in muscles and joints.
When the disease is severe, a pregnant woman may even develop pneumonia.
Is chickenpox dangerous for pregnant women?
The disease carries a particular danger for a pregnant woman in the early stages of bearing a baby, that is, in the first trimester. During this period, the formation of the fetus is just beginning, so infection with chickenpox can lead to intrauterine infection, and, as a result, to miscarriage or abnormalities in the development of the child. Quite often there were situations when a woman who had chickenpox during pregnancy gave birth to a child with deviations in the functioning of the central nervous system, organs of vision, as well as underdeveloped arms and legs.
Detect such violationsin the development of the child is possible only after an ultrasound scan in the second trimester. If severe deformities incompatible with life are found during the examination, the woman must immediately be offered to terminate the pregnancy.
Chickenpox in the second trimester of pregnancy
If a pregnant woman gets chickenpox in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy, then she may not worry, because by the beginning of the trimester the formation of the placenta is completed, and now she is able to qualitatively protect the baby from exposure to the virus. Infection of the fetus is excluded by 95%, even if the disease is severe in a woman.
Chickenpox in the third trimester of pregnancy
Is chickenpox dangerous for pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy? Yes. A disease that occurs in the later stages of bearing a baby is just as dangerous as in the early stages. But the danger is present only if the infection occurred at 36 weeks and later.
The danger lies in the fact that in the period before labor, the woman's body simply does not have time to form immunity to the disease, so there is a very high probability of infection of the baby during the passage through the birth canal or in the first days of life. In such situations, the baby develops congenital chickenpox, which is very difficult, and given the lack of immune protection, it can even provoke a fatal outcome. The occurrence of deaths is also provoked by the fact that the virus affects not only the mucous membranes and skincover, but also the central nervous system with internal organs.
According to statistics, if a woman was infected 4 days before labor, out of 100 babies, 10 to 20 get intrauterine chickenpox. At the same time, 2-3 of them can be born dead. If the first rash occurs 5 days before the scheduled date of labor, then there is also a risk of infection of the fetus, but in this case the disease will be milder.
Regardless of the situation, if a child has been infected, they are given passive immunization. In this case, you can reduce the chance of death by 40%.
Contact of a pregnant woman with patients with chickenpox
The only way to avoid getting chickenpox during pregnancy is to avoid contact with a carrier of the virus. Of course, difficulties arise with this, because throughout the entire incubation period, an infected person may not even realize that he is sick. Therefore, women carrying a baby are advised to minimize contact with other people's children, avoid crowded places and, if possible, wear a mask everywhere.
If, nevertheless, a pregnant woman has been in contact with a patient with chickenpox, you should immediately consult a doctor in order to undergo preventive treatment. To do this, the attending physician introduces into the body serum with antibodies that prevent the development of the virus. In some cases, the serum may not help, and then chickenpox infection occurs, but it occurs in a milder form.
Can Ipregnant women with chickenpox to contact those who have not yet been ill? Of course, this is not desirable. Contact of a pregnant woman with chickenpox with other people has the same consequences as, for example, contact with an infected child.
Chickenpox treatment during pregnancy
When a pregnant woman comes into contact with an infected person and after the first rash appears, a woman should immediately visit her gynecologist. After analyzing the situation and studying the gestational age, the doctor prescribes treatment. If the disease is mild and not complicated by additional infections, then no specific therapy is required. It is enough to treat all the bubbles with brilliant green, and use calamine lotion to relieve itching.
Even if there is a very strong itch and the presented remedy does not help, you need to make every effort not to comb the bubbles, otherwise open wounds form in their place. And such a manifestation will immediately provoke the occurrence of secondary infections.
If the infection fell on a gestation period exceeding 20 weeks, then the woman is prescribed injections of immunoglobulin. Similar injections are also prescribed in case of symptoms of chickenpox immediately before labor.
In case of a severe form of the course of the disease, the doctor may prescribe "Acyclovir", which not only inhibits the virus, but also relieves all the unpleasant symptoms inherent in the disease. The disease in such a situation passes much faster. But it should be noted that the effect of takingthe drug will occur only if its use occurred on the first day after the onset of symptoms of chickenpox. It should be noted that if the infection occurred after the 20th week of pregnancy, then the use of "Acyclovir" is strictly prohibited, since it can cause significant harm to the fetus.
Chickenpox Recurrence
Contrary to popular belief that a person who has already had chickenpox cannot become infected again, re-infection is possible. This is especially common among pregnant women.
That is why, even if a pregnant woman had chickenpox in childhood, she needs to pass all tests for the presence of antibodies to the disease. If there are none, it is recommended to be vaccinated against this virus immediately, but after it it is recommended not to become pregnant for 3 months. But after such actions, chickenpox for a pregnant woman who had it in childhood will definitely not be scary!
Chickenpox prevention
Women who are planning to become pregnant are advised to carry out a number of preventive procedures to prevent the development of chickenpox even before conceiving a baby:
- necessary to maintain immunity through he althy and nutrition;
- should identify the presence of antibodies to the virus in advance;
- in the absence of antibodies to the disease, vaccination is recommended;
- if a woman or her partner has chickenpox, during intercourse, be sureneed protection;
- with a weakened immune system, you should limit your visits to crowded places.
Keeping your child he althy
In order to preserve the life and he alth of the fetus, a pregnant woman should know the following rules:
- Chickenpox infection during gestation is not grounds for termination of pregnancy;
- when chickenpox was transferred in early pregnancy, it is necessary to undergo an examination to exclude or identify fetal pathologies;
- if a woman catches chickenpox a few weeks before giving birth, doctors try to extend the childbearing period;
- For preventive purposes, newborns born to infected mothers are given a vaccine to produce antibodies to the virus;
- Breastfeeding can only be started after the acute period of the disease has passed.
If you follow all the prescribed guidelines, then infection with chickenpox in the process of bearing a child can be avoided or its consequences minimized.
