Chickenpox in children: why is it dangerous and how to help the baby?

chickenpox in children

Chickenpox is most common in children – it is one of the most common childhood infections, but adults can also get it. Although the disease is considered benign and relatively mild, it can cause serious complications in adults and children with weakened immune systems.

What is chickenpox?

Chickenpox (varicella) is a viral disease that causes rashes on the skin and mucous membranes. The causative agent of chickenpox is the widespread and highly contagious Varicella-Zoster virus (VZV) from the herpesvirus family.

A person who has had chickenpox acquires lifelong immunity to the disease, but the virus remains in the body in an inactive state throughout life. When immunity decreases, it can become active and cause shingles.

How is chickenpox transmitted?

Chickenpox is an extremely contagious disease. A sick person is able to infect 90% of people who have come into contact with them. The patient becomes contagious 1-2 days before the rash appears and remains contagious until all the blisters have completely dried up, which occurs 5-7 days after the first rash appears.

How does chickenpox appear?

There are three ways of infection:

  • Airborne. When an infected person coughs and sneezes, the virus, along with saliva and mucus, can be transmitted up to 2 meters away.
  • Contact route. The virus spreads through touching the rash of a sick person or objects contaminated with the contents of the blisters.
  • Intrauterine. A pregnant woman who has chickenpox can transmit the virus to her fetus.

What are the symptoms of chickenpox?

The incubation period of chickenpox is 10-21 days, in most cases 14-15 days. During this time, the disease does not manifest itself in any way.

How does chickenpox begin? The body temperature rises, headache and muscle pain occur, appetite disappears, nausea, vomiting, general weakness appear, sleep disturbances and tearfulness are observed. After a few hours, the body is covered with rashes in the form of red spots, which transform into itchy blisters filled with a clear liquid. The rashes cover the entire body, including the mucous membranes of the oral cavity and genitals, and the scalp. New elements appear in waves over 3-5 days.

How to tell if a child has chickenpox? You can identify the disease after the appearance of rashes, which go through several stages in their development:

  • macula – looks like a red spot with a diameter of 2-4 millimeters;
  • papule – a small dense elevation above the skin level, into which a spot transforms within a few hours;
  • vesicle – a round blister with a diameter of 3-5 millimeters, filled with clear fluid and surrounded by a red rim, forms at the site of a papule;
  • pustule – a blister with cloudy contents (does not always appear);
  • crust – formed after the blister ruptures or dries within 1-2 days, has a dark brown color;
  • healing – crust falling off).

The full development cycle of one rash element takes 6-8 days, but due to the fact that new elements appear within several days, elements of different stages of development are simultaneously present on the skin.

Types of chickenpox

There are 2 types of chickenpox: typical (accompanied by classic manifestations) and atypical.

Atypical chickenpox is further divided into several varieties:

  • rudimentary – no rash, fever, or headache;
  • pustular (vesicular) – a bacterial infection joins, the rashes become dark, rot, and scars may remain after recovery;
  • hemorrhagic – blood is present in the blisters, subcutaneous hemorrhages are possible;
  • gangrenous – there are hemorrhagic blisters, around which foci of necrosis form, purulent ulcers form in place of the falling crusts;
  • generalized – in addition to the formation of a large number of rashes, the disease affects internal organs.

Stages of chickenpox

There are 4 stages of chickenpox:

  • incubation period (10-21 days) – no symptoms;
  • prodromal stage (2-3 days) – weakness, fever;
  • development stage (5-8 days) – rashes appear, new blisters form daily;
  • recovery stage (1-2 weeks) – all signs of chickenpox gradually disappear, immunity to the disease is formed.

Usually, chickenpox leaves no marks on the body, but after the pustular and gangrenous forms of the disease, scars and scars may appear on the skin.

In children under 6 years of age, chickenpox is usually mild and resolves within 8-10 days. In adults, symptoms may persist for more than 2 weeks (sometimes more than a month).

How to treat chickenpox in children and adults?

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Only a pediatrician can give the correct answer to the question of how to treat chickenpox in children.

If your child has signs of chickenpox — rash, fever, lethargy — do not self-medicate. Be sure to consult a pediatrician, even if the illness seems mild. Only a specialist can assess your child's condition and prevent possible complications.

Mainly symptomatic therapy is carried out, which includes taking:

  • antihistamines to reduce itching;
  • detoxification solutions – for severe intoxication;
  • antibiotics - when a bacterial infection joins and purulent processes develop.

Antiviral medications (acyclovir, valacyclovir) are prescribed only for severe cases of the disease.

Do not apply fucarcin or brilliant green to the rash; semi-drying preparations are recommended: colomine, powder plin, prurised gel.

Important! It is strictly forbidden to give aspirin to children due to the high probability of developing Reye's syndrome.

Treatment for adults requires:

  • intensive antiviral therapy;
  • careful monitoring of health due to the high risk of complications.

Can chickenpox be treated at home?

Chickenpox is usually successfully treated at home. Hospitalization is only necessary for complications and severe immune suppression.

It is important to isolate the patient during treatment until all blisters have completely dried and to ensure bed rest, daily change of bed linen and underwear, cool showers, and plenty of drinking water. It is recommended to wear light, loose clothing made of natural fabrics and to keep nails short (children should wear soft gloves) to avoid scratching the rash.

What does chickenpox look like during recovery?

The transition of the disease into the recovery stage is indicated by:

  • cessation of the appearance of new elements of the rash, normalization of temperature - 3-5 days after the onset of the disease;
  • drying of the blisters – at first they become flat, then their contents become cloudy and begin to be absorbed;
  • crusting – brown crusts form in place of the blisters, which cannot be peeled off;
  • crusts fall off – occurs naturally 7-14 days after the first rashes appear;
  • improvement of general well-being

What complications can chickenpox cause?

Chickenpox is usually successfully treated, but sometimes it can cause complications:

  • gingivitis, aphthous stomatitis, purulent parotitis;
  • abscesses, phlegmon, boils, carbuncles;
  • bullous streptoderma, pyoderma, impetigo;
  • encephalitis, meningitis, meningoencephalitis, myelitis, cerebellar ataxia;
  • tracheitis, laryngitis, laryngotracheobronchitis, pneumonia;
  • myocarditis, pericarditis;
  • arthritis, osteomyelitis, fasciitis;
  • nephritis, glomerulonephritis, hepatitis;
  • thrombocytopenia.

Chickenpox is especially dangerous for newborn babies, pregnant women, people with immunodeficiency states, and adult patients. In adults, complications occur in 20-30% of cases.

To minimize the risk of complications, it is important not to miss the onset of chickenpox and consult a doctor in a timely manner.

Can chickenpox be prevented?

The most effective method of prevention is vaccination . The vaccine is administered to children from the age of 9 months, twice 6 weeks apart. Vaccination helps to avoid the disease in 98% of cases, and in the remaining cases ensures a mild course of the disease without complications.

Another option is passive immunization. Patients from risk groups (newborns, pregnant women, immunocompromised) are administered specific immunoglobulin within 96 hours after contact with a sick person.