Chickenpox - Causes and Signs of Chickenpox

There are classifications of this disease in medicine. The following types of chickenpox are distinguished:

• by form - typical and atypical (gangrenous, hemorrhagic, generalized and rudimentary);
• by severity - mild, moderate and severe;
• by course - smooth, without complications and with complications.

Causes

The causative agent of the disease is the herpes virus. When it first enters the human body, it causes chickenpox.

This virus is characterized by instability in the external environment - it can survive in such conditions for no more than 10 minutes.

The source of infection is a person who becomes contagious 2-3 days before the onset of the rash and remains so until the 5th day after the appearance of the last elements of the rash.

If the virus remains in the body for a long time, some unfavorable factors can contribute to its activation, which is why another unpleasant disease develops - shingles.

The route of transmission is airborne (when coughing, sneezing, talking). The entry point is the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract. Penetrating the epithelium, the pathogen spreads with the bloodstream and settles on the skin cells. In its superficial layers, capillaries expand, a spot is formed and some of the fluid from the vessels seeps into the dermis, a papule is formed, and then a vesicle.

Symptoms

The incubation period lasts 13-17 days (sometimes 11-21). A few days before the rash appears, the patient begins to feel weak, the temperature rises, and headaches occur. This period is called prodromal. In children, it may be asymptomatic, while in adults, its manifestations are more pronounced.

The period of rashes in children most often does not disturb the general condition. A few hours after the body temperature rises, the first skin manifestations appear on the shoulders, abdomen, chest, and thighs. At first they look like round spots with a diameter of 5-10 mm, in the center of the spot a tubercle forms, then the top of the papule begins to peel off and a vesicle (bubble) with a diameter of 8-12 mm appears, inside which there is colorless content. After 1-2 days the bubble dries up and a crust forms, which falls off, leaving neither pigmentation nor scars. Later, similar rashes form on the head and face.

Since new rashes appear in spurts, various elements of the rash can be seen on the skin of the affected person at the same time. This phenomenon is called false polymorphism. Intense itching is also noted. In addition to the localization of pathological elements on the skin, they appear on the mucous membranes. The febrile stage lasts 2-5 days (sometimes up to 10), and the rash phase lasts from 2 to 9 days.

Diagnostics

An infectious disease specialist diagnoses chickenpox based on complaints, medical history, and objective examination of the patient.

Laboratory methods include viroscopy (staining the contents of the vesicle with silver, the virus is detected using a conventional light microscope), virology (the main and most informative method is PCR, this method determines the DNA of the virus) and serological tests - RSK, RIMF and ELISA.

Treatment

In most cases, outpatient treatment is indicated for chickenpox. Bed rest is prescribed for the duration of the fever and plenty of fluids.

There are two types of drug therapy:

• General – includes antiviral agents (acyclovir, valacyclovir is used in severe forms of the disease), the use of interferon, which reduces and prevents the rash, and also reduces the number of harmful effects, alleviates the course, antihistamines for severe itching, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that help fight fever (ibuprofen, paracetamol), antibiotics for purulent manifestations.
• Local – consists of careful care of the affected skin. To reduce itching and dry the epidermis, the use of synthetic tannins (Delaskin), brilliant green solution or fucorcin is effective. To prevent bacterial infection, Castellani solution is used.

Prevention

When a person is ill, they are usually isolated at home. Isolation ends 5 days after the last skin rash. For children attending organized children's groups, there is a procedure for admission to children's institutions provided by the instructions. Disinfection is not carried out due to the instability of the herpes virus; frequent ventilation and wet cleaning of the premises are sufficient.

Vaccination is a method of specific prevention. The vaccine forms a strong immunity for many years.