Everyone should be aware of how chickenpox begins in children and adults, what are its first signs and how to treat chickenpox at home with folk and medical means.
Everyone knows what chickenpox is. Contrary to external simplicity, this insidious disease is severe and gives serious complications. The disease is easier for preschool children and primary school students. It’s more difficult with adults.
If a child has been in contact with chickenpox, she will not be able to be a surprise. Before the first signs of infection appear, at least two weeks will pass, since the incubation period lasts an average of 15 days. If the parents do not know that the child was in contact with the patient, they will not immediately find the disease.
Sometimes the skin is covered with characteristic vesicles and is accompanied by malaise, headache, a slight increase in temperature or runny nose. Parents are disoriented by a small point rash that appears at the onset of the disease for several hours.
An inexpressive beginning is the main reason for the rapid spread of chickenpox. Parents, not noticing the first signs, send the child to school or kindergarten.
Chicken pox rash
A detailed picture of the symptoms is accompanied by a chicken pox. At first, it is represented by an oblong speck, which rises above the skin. Then a bubble with a diameter of about three millimeters filled with a transparent liquid appears in the center of the formation. Such rashes appear undulating and are accompanied by an increase in temperature.
After a few days, the bubbles dry and form crusts. As new formations continue to appear, spots, vesicles, and dried crusts can simultaneously be on the patient’s body.
Often a rash appears on the mucous membrane. Here, the bubbles burst quickly and transform into surface erosion. Similar rashes form on the mucous membrane of the larynx, genitals, oral cavity, esophagus, pharynx, and conjunctiva of the eyes.
The duration of the rash period is different. If chickenpox proceeds easily, it is three days, although it is often calculated in two weeks. In any case, the period is extremely difficult for children and parents, especially if there are a lot of skin lesions.
Frantic itching causes the child to scratch the skin, which is dangerous because a viral infection can be exacerbated by a bacterial infection. Parents are advised to closely monitor this. The first sign that a bacterial infection has worsened the situation is thought to be clouding of the bubbles. You can’t do without calling a doctor. In all other cases, chickenpox is easy, and the child can return to school or kindergarten five days after the last rash.
Video tips from Dr. Komarovsky
Course of the disease
Severe chickenpox is not uncommon. In this case, the rash is hemorrhagic in nature. After a few days of illness, the temperature rises, and the rash becomes brown.
Chickenpox often causes bleeding. We are talking about nosebleeds if the airways are affected, or bloody vomiting when the virus encroached on the condition of the stomach or esophagus. This form of the disease is rare, but it is recommended to treat it in a clinic.
Chicken pox often takes a gangrenous course.Deep damage to the skin contributes to the death of tissues with further rejection and the appearance of ulcers. This type of chickenpox is severe and prolonged, and in some cases is supplemented by a bacterial infection. Therefore, treatment should doctor.
The most dangerous is chickenpox, which affects the internal organs, including the brain, and this is fraught with the appearance of chickenpox encephalitis. The disease is rare, and weakened children and adults with weak immunity suffer from it. Often this form requires resuscitation care.
Now, let's look at the totality of symptoms and talk about the treatment of chickenpox in adults and children.
Chickenpox in adults - symptoms and treatment
Chicken pox is considered a childhood infectious disease, but it also occurs in adults. Therefore, the topic of further discussion will be chickenpox in adults.
The virus causing the disease is characterized by high volatility. It is passed on to people with a kiss, coughing or sneezing. Duration chickenpox incubation period in adults is 16 days. During this time, the virus sneaks into the blood, multiplies and spreads over the organs.
First symptoms
Since chickenpox is severe in an adult, cerebral edema is initially observed, and later the nervous system is involved. All this is accompanied by convulsions, vomiting, weakness, nausea and fear of light.
Symptoms
- Rash.
- Repeated rashes.
- Heat.
- Intoxication.
- The rapid onset of complications.
I want to draw your attention to the last point. A list of common complications is represented by damage to the respiratory system, kidneys, liver, nervous and cardiovascular systems. Often, chronic diseases worsen, and scars form on the skin after the rash.
Home treatment
In an adult, chickenpox often reappears as lichen. The rash is located on the back and stomach, forming a circle. In this case, the virus is not transmitted through the air. Repeated chickenpox in an adult is accompanied by pain, burning, itching and tingling.
- Since chickenpox is difficult to tolerate, it is initially recommended to ensure peace. Minimize mental and physical stress. If chickenpox is accompanied by an increase in temperature, bed rest is required.
- Since fever contributes to the accelerated elimination of fluids and nutrients from the body, drink more often. Replace the loss of nutrients recommended fruit drinks, compotes and fresh juices. A diet based on vegetables, fruits and dairy products will not hurt.
- Keep clean and pay attention to hygiene. Take a shower twice a day, but remember that it is forbidden to tear off the crust or rub the skin with a washcloth during the water procedure.
- Symptomatic treatment does not hurt. At high temperatures, use antipyretic drugs: paracetamol or ibuprofen. Aspirin is not recommended, as it can cause liver damage.
- To speed up healing and eliminate itching, doctors prescribe antihistamines, including Tavegil and Suprastin. Since chickenpox affects both the skin and the mucous membrane, rinse your mouth with antiseptics.
- Do not disregard antibiotics. They are recommended to be used carefully and as directed by a doctor. Use reduces the risk of complications.
Medicine develops and new medicines appear annually. But there is also traditional medicine, the impact of which on health is invaluable. In particular, zelenka helps to dry the crusts, and a decoction of chamomile or oak will help cope with itching. A weak solution of potassium permanganate is suitable for rinsing the mouth.
How to treat chickenpox in children
As practice shows, chickenpox affects almost all children of preschool age. The virus that causes the disease is volatile and easily penetrates into adjacent rooms. If a sick child goes to kindergarten, it is possible that in a few weeks the virus will spread to all children.
Infants do not suffer from chickenpox until six months, because within the fetal period they receive temporary immunity from their mother. Children over 10 years old suffer from chickenpox less often, but the disease is severe and accompanied by complications.
Symptoms in children
Let's start with the symptoms. It is impossible to confuse them with the signs of another disease, since they are fully manifested as soon as possible.
- Initially, body temperature rises to 38 degrees. For several hours, the baby's body is covered with flat rashes of pink color. At first, the rash does not bring discomfort.
- Later, tiny bubbles with transparent contents appear in the center of the spots. This is accompanied by itching. Parents are advised to ensure that the baby does not itch, otherwise the likelihood of introducing an infection will increase.
- After a few days, the bubbles dry and become brown. Within a week, every two days new foci of the disease appear on the body, which contributes to an increase in temperature.
- After half a month, the crusts disappear, leaving behind a slight pigmentation, which disappears with time.
Treatment
From the moment of illness to recovery, the child experiences weakness, eats poorly, suffers from insomnia and irritable. This is recommended to take into account during treatment, which is carried out at home. The only exception is the extremely severe course of chickenpox or the appearance of complications.
- To combat chickenpox in children, special therapy is not needed, and there are no safe medicines yet. Adhere to bed rest, change linen more often, follow a diet and drink plenty of water.
- To prevent the accumulation of purulent infection, treat the rash twice a day with brilliant green. This is a well-known remedy for chickenpox does not cure, but helps to understand at what stage the disease is.
- To combat high temperature, it is recommended to use antipyretic drugs Nurofen or Panadol. Diazolin, an antihistamine, is suitable for relieving severe itching.
Many parents are interested in whether a child can swim with chickenpox. Doctors did not agree on this issue. Overseas doctors are confident that the shower soothes the itch. According to doctors from Russia, contact of the affected skin with water is unacceptable except for a warm bath with the addition of potassium permanganate.
If you provide the child with appropriate care with chickenpox, the disease will pass without complications, leaving no trace. In the case of suppuration and inflammation of the vesicles, tiny scars may remain on the skin. As for extremely serious complications, this is rare.
Prevention - how not to get chickenpox?
Chickenpox is contagious at the time of the appearance of a rash and bursting of vesicles. The liquid with which they are filled is contagious, and even clothing is not an obstacle to the virus. The disease is also dangerous when brown crusts appear. They can not be stripped off, otherwise an infection will leak into the body, and scars will remain on the skin.
Vaccination. Remember, if a person picks up a virus, stopping the development of chickenpox will not work. If you don’t like this scenario, get a special vaccination. In many European countries, it is present in the planned schedule for vaccinating children. By making an injectionprotect the child. But if one of the family members gets chickenpox, the vaccine is useless.
Quarantine. If a person is sick, it is recommended to isolate him in a separate room and allocate hotel hygiene products, utensils, things. As part of quarantine, it must communicate with as few people as possible.
Ventilation. It does not hurt to constantly ventilate the apartment or use a quartz lamp for disinfection. Do not forget about gauze dressings. They do not give a 100% result, but reduce the risk of infection.
Vitamins. Special attention deserves the intake of vitamins. People with a weakened immune system are a godsend for viruses and diseases. Vitamin complexes are sold in any pharmacy.
Only vaccination is considered the most effective prevention of chickenpox. All other methods provide a negligible result with the exception of the complete isolation of the patient.
There is an opinion that if a person has had chickenpox, he gains life-long immunity to it. But in medicine, there are cases when the disease reappears. No one is safe from this. Do not be ill!
