While chickenpox poses no serious danger to a child’s body, for an adult, this seemingly harmless disease poses a real threat. It is not in vain that experts strongly recommend to get the virus in early childhood, since at a later age the disease can cause numerous complications. This article is useful to those who have not encountered the disease, and, therefore, do not know how chickenpox manifests itself in the initial stages of infection.
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How chickenpox begins in children and adults
Even if you are convinced that the virus will not affect you and your loved ones, it is recommended to have an idea of how chickenpox begins in children and adults. There is hardly a person who has never heard of such a well-known disease.
Despite the seeming harmlessness, there are often cases when chickenpox gave subsequently very serious complications. Fortunately, the smallest patients cope with the disease much easier.
The first signs of the disease do not appear immediately, but only after the incubation period.As a rule, small vesicles appear on the surface of the patient's skin, and general weakness of the whole body, severe headache and low temperature are also noted. There are times when chickenpox is accompanied by a runny nose.
At the initial stage of infection, a very small rash forms on the skin, which passes by itself after a couple of hours. It is this insignificant symptom, most often, that parents lose sight of or do not attach any particular importance to it.
Important! Implicit signs of the disease are the main cause of the rapid spread of the harmful causative agents of chickenpox. Without paying proper attention to the mild symptoms, parents lead the baby to public places, whether it be a school or kindergarten, where the child becomes the main carrier of infection.
Incubation period
The incubation period is considered to be the time interval from the virus entering the body after contact with the patient and until the first signs of the disease appear.
If we talk about chickenpox, then the latent period of its development is divided into several stages:
- Initial stage. The countdown starts from the moment when the patient came into contact with the peddler of infection. Within two days after infection, the virus adapts to the new environment of a foreign organism, while no signs of infection are observed.
- Second stage. At the next stage, the pathogen cells undergo intensive division, resulting in the multiplication of pathogenic microorganisms.
- The final stage. The causative agent of the disease penetrates the blood and affects the cells of the whole organism. In addition, the infection affects the skin, thus provoking the appearance of a rash on the surface of the epithelium, which is accompanied by an unpleasant itch.
Despite the fact that chickenpox is referred to as "childhood" infections, it often happens when the disease affects adolescents and even adults. At the same time, the duration of the incubation period, in case of infection at later stages of life, remains unchanged at 1-3 weeks. In newborns, the latent period of infection can be reduced to 7-10 days.
Symptoms and signs of the disease
In adult patients whose age exceeds twenty years, signs of infection appear in a more acute form. Various chronic diseases can worsen the condition. The course of the disease also depends on the individual characteristics of the body. The first symptoms appear a day before the inflammatory elements characteristic of the disease form on the skin.
The patient noted:
- weakness in the body;
- unpleasant aching pain in the joints;
- fever;
- migraine.
In rare cases, at the early stage of the disease, even before the rash occurs, the patient may experience the following symptoms:
- disorders of the vestibular apparatus;
- cramps
- photophobia or fear of light.
A later stage of the disease is characterized by such signs:
- pink spots appear on the surface of the epidermis, which worry the patient with constant itching;
- mucous membranes of the larynx, nose, and also organs of the reproductive system are often damaged;
- all new skin inflammations worry a person up to 10 days;
- there is an increased body temperature reaching forty degrees;
- the body is poisoned by toxic substances.
Due to unbearable itching, the patient will want to scratch the inflamed elements, however, you can not comb the vesicles. Otherwise, a secondary bacterial infection may occur.
The first signs of chickenpox in a child are similar to the symptoms of an adult, but the baby's body temperature rises uncritically. In adolescence, the rash turns into purulent wounds much more often. In this regard, the course of the disease is complicated by the appearance of abscesses, phlegmon and other purulent phenomena.
After healing, crusts form on the wounds, which subsequently disappear.In the place of the pustules, small scars or age spots may remain.
How many days does chickenpox last in a child, in an adult
The duration of the disease depends on how hard the process of infection progresses. Often, new foci of inflammation cease to appear within 5-8 days after the formation of the first elements of the rash. It is after the new pustulent formations on the skin cease to appear that the disease slowly but surely begins to recede. From this moment, the baby is recovering.
However, it is not possible to determine the most accurate duration of the course of the disease, since the nature of the infection and the complexity of its course depends on the individual characteristics of a particular organism.
Chickenpox in adults is characterized by the presence of quite serious and dangerous complications for humans. Under the influence of external and internal factors, the period of the course of the disease can significantly increase. That is why it is impossible to say exactly how many days the disease will last in an adult.
When to see a doctor
For help, doctors should be contacted immediately as soon as the patient has been observed:
- acute headache or nausea, hypersensitivity to light, excessive drowsiness or general malaise of the whole organism;
- disorders of the respiratory system and a persistent cough reflex. These symptoms may indicate the presence of chickenpox pneumonia.
- a change in the shade of the skin when redness of the epithelium is observed.
You should also undergo a mandatory examination with a specialist if the following signs of infection are observed:
- increased body temperature, not falling for more than two days;
- unpleasant itching;
- characteristic rash on the eyeball;
- skin rashes.
It is recommended to immediately seek the help of a doctor if a person has contacted a peddler of infection. This is especially true for those people who have never had chickenpox.
Important! Before going to the hospital, you need to clarify by phone all the necessary precautions when visiting the clinic. In order to avoid the spread of the pathogen, the specialist, as a rule, takes the patient infected with chickenpox out of turn.
Treatment of chickenpox in children and adults
Before you talk about the main methods of treatment for chickenpox, you should immediately remind readers about how you should not treat this disease. The most important mistake that those who have encountered with this disease sin is the use of antibiotics in the fight against the causative agent of infection. No antimicrobial agents can cope with a disease of viral etiology.
Drug therapy
The causative agent of chickenpox is type 3 herpes, which instantly spreads by airborne droplets. That is why drug therapy of the disease includes the use of antiherpetic drugs, the active substance of which is acyclovir.
This component relieves itching, pain, and also contributes to the effective healing of wounds. It has immunostimulating properties. For the treatment of children, such drugs are not recommended by specialists in order to avoid subsequent possible side effects. Often, drug therapy is prescribed for the acute form of the disease or in cases of complications.
The severe course of chickenpox is characteristic of adults, adolescents, pregnant women and newborns. To relieve itching, special antihistamines are also prescribed to prevent discomfort in the patient. In cases where a very high temperature is observed, drugs with an antipyretic effect are additionally prescribed.
Folk remedies
- Mummy. Since ancient times, it is famous for its healing and restorative properties. To treat chickenpox, it is necessary to pour 0.1 g of the ingredient with warm water (½ tbsp.).The resulting solution is taken orally in the morning before breakfast.
- Celery. Freshly squeezed juice of the plant is given to the patient three times a day: in the morning, afternoon and evening before eating. The optimal dosage is 10 g. This drink normalizes the metabolism in the body, and also helps to increase appetite.
- Sowing oats. The grass is pre-crushed, after which 20 g of the component is diluted in a glass of water. The mixture is heated using a water bath for 10 minutes, and then infuse the broth for another 1 hour. A filtered drink is used orally before meals three times a day.
Hygiene rules, is it possible to swim with chickenpox
The basic rule is the complete isolation of the patient from surrounding people to prevent the spread of infection. It is very important not to allow the inflammation of the skin to be combed, which is accompanied by unpleasant itching. Especially painful sensations on the skin of the head.
The rash that occurs during the course of the disease is usually treated with brilliant green. Usually this is done in order to visually assess the degree of damage to the skin. In addition to greenbacks, the use of fucorcin and a methylene blue solution is allowed.
A common misconception is that one should not bathe a patient with chickenpox. On the contrary, in the process of the disease, you should swim daily, but doctors recommend that you follow certain rules when taking a bath.
It is forbidden to use a washcloth, and also to frict inflamed areas of the skin. After the procedure, the skin is patched with a towel with gentle movements.
Possible complications and consequences
After infection, a person develops immunity to the causative agent of the disease. However, there were cases when he had chickenpox again experienced the unpleasant consequences of this ailment. And yet, such incidents are extremely rare.
Serious complications are observed in people whose immunity is weakened and unable to fight a viral infection. In this case, such additional complications as encephalitis, pneumonia and various forms of otitis can be detected in the patient.
With improper treatment or combing of the rash on the healed areas after falling off the crust, scars or age spots may remain. The severe form of chickenpox in a newborn can even be fatal if there is a temperature above forty degrees, and rashes on the body are accompanied by hemorrhage.
Preventive measures
As mentioned above, it is very important to isolate the infected person from the people around him, as the causative agent of chickenpox is transmitted by airborne droplets. If this is not possible, experts recommend disinfecting the room with a quartz lamp. However, a similar procedure must be performed in accordance with certain rules.
During quarantine, the following preventive measures must be observed:
- isolate the patient in a separate room;
- provide him with personal hygiene products and utensils;
- during washing, the patient’s clothes should not be washed with the things of other family members;
- experts advise healthy households to use gauze dressings in contact with the patient.
By following these precautions, you can avoid getting chickenpox. And do not forget that people with weak immunity are more susceptible to this disease. Therefore, monitor your health, take enough vitamins, and also use additional methods of vaccination to form a lifelong immunity to the pathogen.
