Chickenpox in adults is the second time the cause. Treating recurrent chickenpox. Clinical features of recurrent chickenpox

Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease and can easily spread from one child to another. Chickenpox is one of the common diseases that children are forced to endure.

Briefly about windmill

Chickenpox, also known as chicken pox, affects most children. Infection and development of the disease is due to the varicella-zoster virus.

Chickenpox appears after direct contact with an infected person, and also spreads through air contaminated with viral particles.

In most cases, the length of the incubation period of chickenpox is about two weeks, which means that the child will first show symptoms of infection 14 days after exposure to the virus.

External manifestations look like red abscesses and rashes on the skin that itch and turn into bubbles with liquid inside. As the infection progresses, the blisters begin to heal and dry out, forming crusts that then fall off the body.

Some children will only have a few spots and rashes, while other children will have a rash all over their body.

However, in some children, symptoms of chickenpox may appear as early as seven days after exposure to the virus, or as early as 21 days.

Signs of chickenpox in children

The main symptom is a characteristic rash. Therefore, it is important for parents to know the stages of its appearance:

red rashes similar to blisters will begin to appear on the body of the child;
the rash may occur only on some parts of the body or spread, covering the entire body;
the rash usually appears in small groups;
sometimes a rash can appear even on the inside of the child's lips and ears;
in addition, a rash may be present on the palms, as well as on the soles of the feet or around the lower back;
the rash will first appear as tiny red spots that will soon become itchy. After a few days, it will look like a blister, and the itching will increase;
the next day or the next day, the bubbles will begin to fill with a clear liquid, which will gradually become cloudy (over the next few days). At the end, the bubbles dry up, a crust forms on top;
after a week or two, the crusts will slowly begin to peel off the blisters and come off the child's body;
a new rash may also appear after the first 3 to 5 days from the onset of the rash. In this case, new eruptions usually combine into groups (waves) and form different groups of eruptions.

Complications after chickenpox

Chickenpox can cause complications:

bacterial infection of an open wound can damage the skin, sometimes causing scarring, especially if a child scratches the inflamed area. Bacterial streptococcal skin infection is, in fact, a common complication of chickenpox in children;
other complications are much less common. In children, the central nervous system may be affected. Violation of the cerebellar part of the brain is manifested by instability of gait, dizziness, tremor and altered speech;

Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) with headaches, convulsions and depression of consciousness can occur, as well as nerve damage (nerve palsy).

other complications include blood poisoning (sepsis) and dehydration;
pneumonia is a more common complication in adolescents. Death from chickenpox can occur even in healthy patients.

There are people with certain diseases who are more prone to serious complications and death. These conditions and patients include:

human immunodeficiency virus (HIV or AIDS);
lupus or other autoimmune diseases;
leukemia and other types of cancer;
people taking immunomodulatory drugs (drugs related to cortisone, tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, and chemotherapy);
transplant recipients;
pregnant.

Pregnant women who have never had chickenpox and are not vaccinated against it should avoid contact with or being in the same room as a person with suspected chickenpox. Not only is a woman at risk for varicella-zoster pneumonia, the fetus is at risk of infection in the uterus (congenital varicella syndrome) until 20 weeks of gestation.

Congenital chickenpox causes numerous intrauterine disorders, such as scarring of the skin and damage to the limbs. Fortunately, very, very rarely. Newborns whose mothers get chickenpox 5 days before birth, or babies who become infected two days after their birth, are at the greatest risk of severe chickenpox.

These babies may show symptoms up to 2 weeks after birth. This is justified by the fact that the mother does not have enough time to develop antibodies to chickenpox so that they pass to the child. The mortality rate for these children is up to 30%. If your baby develops symptoms between 10 and 28 days of age, they are more likely to be mild.

Treatment of chickenpox in children

There is no specific treatment for varicella-zoster in children, as it is more like watching and waiting for the infection to clear up. Most treatments for chickenpox are aimed at reducing symptoms. The itchy feeling that a child experiences during chickenpox is especially difficult to deal with.

There are several ways to relieve itching at home:

take a few gauze pads and soak them in a solution of baking soda and water. Place gauze over your child's rash to provide some temporary relief from the itching sensation;
Talk to your doctor about the safety of using certain creams or lotions that contain calamine. Calamine is known to soothe the skin and may give some relief to a child's itching;
if the itching is too severe and the child cannot control it, the doctor will likely prescribe an antihistamine to relieve the itching.

To reduce the temperature in a child, the doctor will prescribe a dose of Paracetamol or Ibuprofen. Make sure you only give what the doctor prescribes, follow the dosage.

If your child's condition is severe, the doctor will prescribe antiviral drugs.

Forecast

The prognosis for uncomplicated chickenpox is usually good if the disease is tolerated during childhood. And even in many adults, it passes relatively easily. Most survivors never experience chickenpox symptoms again after the first onset, and they are immune to another person's chickenpox because the virus remains dormant in the nervous system.

Can you get chickenpox again?

Anyone who has had chickenpox can later develop shingles, even children. The good news is that the so-called recurrent chickenpox in children and adolescents with a healthy immune system is quite rare.

When infected with chickenpox, the body begins to produce IgG, IgM and IgA antibodies. IgG is the smallest antibody molecule, and it persists throughout life. The immune response limits the primary infection. However, once infected, the virus spreads through the nerves and remains dormant after recovery. Reactivation of these latent viruses causes a secondary infection. This manifests itself as shingles.

The causative agent is the same, but the clinical presentation is very different due to mechanisms mediated by the immune system. Primary infection with varicella-zoster causes chickenpox, and reactivation causes shingles.

Shingles is a viral infection that manifests itself in the form of a rash caused by an infection of the nerves. Shingles usually appears as a streak of irritated skin and a chain of blisters on one side of the chest or back, but it can occur anywhere on the body, including on the face and near the eyes. This characteristic rash has a stripe pattern that only extends to one side of the body (right or left) and usually does not cross the midline. Usually, herpes zoster occurs only in immunocompromised children.

Rarely, shingles may appear more than once.

Shingles, like chickenpox, is a highly contagious disease. Anyone who comes into contact with a child with shingles will develop chickenpox, not shingles. On average, the period during which the disease can last is from two to four weeks. When the disease has passed all its stages of development, the infection disappears by itself.

The reasons

Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox. Varicella-zoster is associated with the herpes virus that causes genital herpes and herpes simplex. Therefore, shingles is also known as herpes zoster.

Doctors can't pinpoint exactly why the virus suddenly flares up again after months or years of inactivity. This may be because our immune systems become more susceptible to infections as we age, which may explain why herpes zoster is more common in older people.

Children who have had chickenpox are at a higher risk of developing herpes zoster if their immune system is weakened after an illness or as a result of taking certain medications.

Symptoms

Shingles usually starts with a burning, stinging, itching sensation in the area where the rash will eventually develop. Sometimes this pain can be severe, and the child will complain of extreme skin sensitivity. This discomfort usually occurs a few days before the visible rash appears.

Often children will also experience other associated symptoms, such as:

headache
fever and chills
malaise
nausea
body aches
enlargement of the lymph glands.

A few days after the onset of discomfort on the skin (or, rarely, a few weeks later), a characteristic herpes rash appears. It first appears as a cluster of small red spots that eventually turn into small blisters.

These fluid-filled blisters eventually rupture and the small sores begin to slowly dry out and crust over. The crusts fall off after a few weeks, and the rash disappears in about two to four weeks.

When should you contact a specialist?

In the vast majority of cases, herpes zoster can be self-diagnosed.

But urgent medical attention is needed in the following situations:

if rashes appear on the face. There is a chance that the rash will spread to the eyes, which can severely damage the child's vision. The doctor will take measures to prevent the infection from spreading to the eyes;
if the child has a weakened immune system. Complications such as superficial streptococcal skin infections and other nerve problems (facial palsy, balance problems, and hearing problems) can occur. In some rare cases, inflammation of the brain has been reported;
painful rashes. If the child complains that the rash is very painful and itchy;
you are not sure if the rash is shingles;
no sign of healing even after 14 days.

If you suspect that your child is developing herpes zoster, it is best to immediately contact a specialist for diagnosis.

Complications of shingles

In general, herpes zoster resolves on its own, with or without treatment, and does not cause any serious conditions.

In rare cases, lichen can cause complications:

persistent pain (postherpetic neuralgia). Damaged nerve fibers in the skin send erratic impulses to the brain, causing pain that can last long after the rash has gone;
vision problems. If lichen develops in or near the eyes, it can lead to blindness;
skin infections. The rash can become infected with bacteria, leading to skin problems (streptoderma, for example);
disorders of the nervous system. Herpes on the face can affect various nerves that connect to the brain. This can cause problems related to the nerves (facial paralysis, hearing loss and balance problems). Rarely, herpes leads to encephalitis.

Diagnostics

The doctor can independently make a diagnosis based on the distinctive appearance and distribution of the characteristic rash, without resorting to laboratory research methods. A painful, chain-like rash that is localized to certain areas of the skin is a sign of herpes zoster.

Diagnosing herpes zoster before the rash appears can be challenging. In cases where the diagnosis is unclear, laboratory tests are available to confirm the diagnosis. Depending on the clinical situation, testing may be done using blood samples (to detect antibodies to varicella-zoster) or by specialized testing of skin lesions.

Treatment

Therapy for herpes zoster is aimed at reducing the effects of the virus, as well as relieving pain.

There are several drugs that can be used, discuss with your doctor the best treatment options for your particular situation.

The vast majority of cases of herpes zoster can be treated at home. In some situations, immunosuppressed children or children with severe symptoms and/or complications may require hospitalization.

Antiviral drugs. Used in the fight against the varicella zoster virus. These drugs help shorten the course of the disease, reduce the severity of the disease, and speed up the healing of skin lesions. They will also help prevent possible complications that sometimes occur. Antivirals are most effective when started within 3 days of the first appearance of the rash, but in some cases of herpes zoster (eg, in an immunocompromised patient), they can be started after 72 hours.

There are several antiviral drugs that can be used. These are Acyclovir, Famciclovir and Valaciclovir (the last two are not prescribed for children under 12 years of age).

Remedies to reduce pain. Some doctors prescribe topical creams or sprays, skin patches, or oral medications to help minimize the pain caused by the virus. In some cases, medications such as Paracetamol, Ibuprofen may be recommended to combat pain.
Inflammation treatment. If the rash spreads to the eyes (which is the main complication of herpes zoster), the doctor will prescribe antivirals along with steroids to reduce the rash. Sometimes topical corticosteroids are helpful in reducing skin inflammation, although they should only be used under the direction of a physician.
Medicines to reduce itching. The doctor will prescribe antihistamines to reduce the itching of the rash.
Care for damaged skin. Skin rash care can be provided with home remedies and this may provide some symptom relief. Calamine lotion is applied topically to the rash to relieve itching. Cool wet compresses are soothing.

It is important to maintain good personal hygiene, avoid scratching the affected area, and try to keep the area clean to prevent secondary bacterial infection of the skin.

Shingles cannot be completely cured, as the virus is rarely killed by any antiviral drug. However, its emergence and development can be effectively halted. A strong immune system prevents the virus from reactivating and multiplying.

Therefore, children with herpes should be provided with a healthy diet rich in protein and vitamin C throughout their lives. This is the best preventive measure against shingles.

Conclusion

Thus, recurrent chickenpox (also known as zoster or shingles) is a painful skin rash caused by the virus that is responsible for chickenpox, varicella-zoster. Even if a child has had chickenpox in the past, they can still develop shingles. This happens because the varicella-zoster virus remains in the body, dormant in the nerve ganglia, and can reactivate many years later.

It is not clear why the virus reawakens, for some this never happens. But researchers believe the virus is triggered when the immune system weakens with age or under conditions of stress.

Shingles is less contagious than chicken pox. However, the chickenpox virus can be spread from a child with zoster to a child who has never had chickenpox. The unfortunate recipient may develop chickenpox rather than herpes zoster.

What is a windmill?

Children's acute viral disease "chickenpox" is very common today. Both kids and adults get sick of it, and the latter endure it in a much more severe form. So what is chickenpox and why does it appear? At the heart of its occurrence is a type of herpes virus. The main symptoms are fever and the appearance of a characteristic rash all over the body. Chickenpox is transmitted by direct contact with the carrier of the infection, the virus is not resistant and exists on its own only for the first few seconds. The patient is contagious even before the first signs of chickenpox appear, which makes the infection process extremely difficult to determine.

Chickenpox in adults

Chicken pox is easy and fast in children, for them this disease is absolutely harmless. Is it possible to get chickenpox a second time and how much will the course of the disease differ from the initial state? The answer of medical specialists here is unequivocal: yes, adults also encounter this childhood illness, and they can become infected with it both for the first time and again, after many years, although such cases are extremely rare. A significant difference between the disease in adults and children is the severity of its course. The manifestation of the pathogens of the virus in the body of a mature person is very, very aggressive. The temperature rises much higher than in babies, the rash is always more active, to all this is added a general breakdown and pain when eating. If an adult has chickenpox again, then, as a rule, the disease proceeds more calmly and is easier to tolerate by the body.

The appearance of a rash

Chicken pox is always as contagious as the first time. In order not to become the source of a real epidemic, it is recommended to endure the quarantine period, which is about two weeks. This time must be fully devoted to treatment. Remember that the initial rash turns into blisters within two to three days, which cause very unpleasant and painful sensations. In no case should they be combed, otherwise the marks may remain on your skin for life.

Treatment

After clarifying the question "is it possible to get chickenpox a second time," most people begin to be interested in the process of dealing with it. There is no specific treatment as such, you just need to gain strength and patience, and medications, first of all, are aimed at relieving pronounced symptoms. As a rule, only a doctor prescribes drugs, self-medication in this case should not be practiced. You can bring down the temperature with the help of paracetamol, but aspirin is completely prohibited. To relieve itching, diazolin can be used, its dose and time of administration is determined by a medical professional. This medicine has a sleeping pill effect and can significantly affect the patient's daily routine. Adults are also often prescribed a drug such as Acyclovir.

Additional treatment and prevention

"Is it possible to get chickenpox a second time and cure it without using special medicines?" - often interested in many. The official answer to this question is ambiguous, in any case, it would be useful to follow additional rules. You should take a shower only after the stabilization of the condition and the decline in high temperature. During the adoption of water procedures, it is forbidden to use sponges, washcloths and various gels, the interval in the bathroom should be reduced. it is necessary to observe a diet even in the absence of appetite, you can eat less, but more often. It would be better if the patient can adhere to the simplest diet, temporarily excluding spicy and salty foods from the diet. What to do so that the question "is it possible to get chickenpox a second time" does not arise? Is there any prevention? Unfortunately, here you can answer confidently: it simply does not exist.

Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease that spreads through the air. Most often it occurs in children. After a person manages to fully recover from chickenpox, special antibodies are formed in his body that prevent re-infection. In medical practice, there are cases when people get chickenpox for the second time. This disease has specific symptoms and some features in the treatment. When the first signs appear, we strongly recommend that you consult a doctor.

Can you get chickenpox twice?

The main feature of chickenpox as a disease is that even after complete recovery, pathogenic viruses remain in the human body. They hide in the nerve fibers, are in an inactive state and are not capable of harming health. If a person's immunity decreases, he may develop small local rashes, in the event of a serious decrease in protective abilities, a re-infection occurs. Usually, chickenpox occurs a second time against the background of a violation of the normal production of immunoglobulins - specific antibodies.

Repeated chickenpox can be a common mistake in diagnosis: the symptoms of such smallpox can be easily confused with other viral diseases, which also manifest themselves in the formation of vesicles on the skin. To date, 8 types of herpes virus have been identified that can cause a rash. Most often, repeated chickenpox occurs in people who have had this disease in early childhood. They do not have time to develop enough antibodies that help build immunity to chickenpox. Experts cannot find the exact causes of repeated chickenpox.

Symptoms and signs of recurrent chickenpox

The beginning of the development of chickenpox is considered the moment when pathogenic viruses begin to rapidly divide in the body. A few days after the start of this process, a person is faced with the appearance of dizziness and headache, after which fever and itching are added to these symptoms. Also, a person begins to suffer from increased fatigue, a deterioration in well-being, a decrease in activity and vitality. After 2-3 days, small blisters appear on the body that do not leave the skin for about a week. The mechanism for the development of recurrent chickenpox is as follows:

The state of health worsens significantly, the body temperature rises, appetite disappears.
Numerous blisters appear on the skin, which are filled with a cloudy liquid.
Over time, such pimples mature, burst, and pimples remain in their place.
The resulting ulcers are covered with a crust.
Over time, such a crust dries up and disappears on its own.

On average, the duration of repeated chickenpox ranges from 2 to 3 weeks. The exact indicator completely depends on the state of the human immune system, the presence or absence of concomitant chronic diseases. The worse his health, the longer the re-chickenpox will be. When the first symptoms of such a disease appear, we strongly recommend that you consult a doctor.

In some cases, people confuse chickenpox a second time with shingles. In the initial stages, the symptoms of these diseases are similar: a person has itching, redness, burning, small bubbles form at the site of the lesion. Unlike chickenpox, shingles only spreads in one area. The fullness of such bubbles may also differ - inside them there may be pus, blood and other liquid. With chickenpox, the rash can appear over several days, while with herpes zoster it occurs very quickly, within a few hours.

Features of repeated chickenpox

Recurrent chickenpox usually occurs in people much more severely than the primary one. They have a high body temperature for a long time, which is difficult to bring down with any drugs, patients are haunted by severe itching, which does not subside even after treatment with special ointments. If left untreated for a long time, the patient may develop serious complications, such as partial or complete loss of vision, postherpetic neuralgia, and scars on the skin.

In some cases, the symptoms of chickenpox may remain in a person even after a full recovery. Most often, this applies to the skin: the patient is forced to endure itching and burning on his body for a long time. Most often, this complication haunts the elderly and those who have a significantly weakened immune system. Other serious consequences may also occur: facial paralysis, hearing loss, encephalitis, staggering when walking. It all depends on which nerve fibers were damaged.

Treatment of secondary chickenpox

Recurrent chickenpox requires immediate medical treatment. Only it will help speed up the healing process and stop all the unpleasant manifestations of the disease. To get rid of high body temperature, anti-inflammatory or antipyretic drugs such as Paracetamol and its analogues are prescribed. To relieve discomfort on the skin, it must be constantly treated with ordinary brilliant green or Fukortsin's solution. To reduce the sensation of itching, Suprastin, Tavegil and other glucocorticoid hormones are also prescribed.

After the appearance of acne, a person is forbidden to take a shower for three days and even wet the skin with a wet towel. It will be possible to completely get rid of the rashes only after 203 weeks. To minimize the risk of scarring, it is necessary to constantly lubricate the body with baby or any other emollient cream. Bed rest, a dairy diet and plenty of fluids will help speed up the recovery process. With the development of severe conditions caused by secondary chickenpox, complex therapy with antiviral drugs, such as Gerpevir, Acyclovir or Diazolin, is prescribed.

Prevention measures

In order to prevent the development of repeated chickenpox, it is necessary to constantly adhere to a number of certain rules. First, you must carefully monitor your personal hygiene. The skin should be clean and dry, it should not have untreated wounds for a long time. Secondly, reconsider your wardrobe: it should not contain tight items made of dense or synthetic clothing. In no case do not use ointments and creams that cause irritation and allergic reactions. When the first signs of recurrent chickenpox appear, try to visit public places as little as possible.

Once having been ill with the varicella-zoster virus, patients are relieved that they will no longer meet with this nasty itchy rash. And precautionary mothers specifically arrange contacts between healthy children and active patients so that they do not encounter this disease already in adulthood. The belief that it is impossible to get chickenpox a second time often turns out to be false, and even having been ill once, a person can get chickenpox again.

The causative agent of the disease is the varicella-zoster virus - the same one that affects children. The virus was discovered over a hundred years ago. In adults, the disease is an endogenous manifestation of infection, since the virus itself was not introduced from the outside, but only became more active in their body under the influence of a sharp decrease in immunity.

Chickenpox in adults

The causative agent is a member of the herpesvirus family of the genus Varicella. Virions have an oblong shape, inside them there is a core with a linear deoxyribonucleic acid. Outside, the virus is covered with a lipoprotein membrane. It spreads everywhere, and the susceptibility to it is very high. The source of the disease is a sick person. The transmission mechanism is airborne, the virus enters the external environment when the integrity of the bubbles is damaged.

Is it possible to get chickenpox a second time

To date, doctors are actively studying whether it is possible to get chickenpox again and why this happens. Infectionists believe that about twenty-five percent of people who have already had the disease earlier, in childhood, get sick with chickenpox. Although after the transferred chickenpox antibodies appear that prevent re-infection, this does not guarantee the absence of relapses in the future.

In patients at risk, the study reveals an extremely low amount of antibodies against the disease, which over time, for unknown reasons, are destroyed by the human body itself. Therefore, it becomes possible to transfer chickenpox for the second time to every fourth person who has already suffered from this disease.

In adulthood, the disease is much more difficult to tolerate than in childhood. Re-infection with chickenpox in an adult in old age is considered especially dangerous, when the disease gives the most severe manifestations and gives complications to all systems and organs.

Manifestations of shingles in adults do not have seasonality, you can get chickenpox both in the cold season and in summer, because the disease occurs against the background of a sharp drop in immunity. An adult patient is a danger to others and is a source of infection.

Reasons for re-infection

Recurrent chickenpox in adults is not often recorded. The disease develops for the following reasons:

A sharp weakening of the immune system- Usually, it is immune problems that trigger the activation of a herpes infection. In this case, the body weakens and cannot cope with many diseases, including herpetic infection, becoming ill 2 times.
When transferring a previously dangerous pathology, which affects the human immune system - it can be hepatitis, tuberculosis and other diseases. Usually, it is after such a stress that the body shows various complications, including repeated chickenpox.
Emotional overstrain- one of the most formidable factors that generally weakens the body. With mental instability of a person, many complications lie in wait, one of which is the activation of the causative agent of the disease.
Taking antibacterial drugs- this factor can also provoke a decrease in the immune status, after which there is a high risk of re-infection with chickenpox in adults.

Is it possible to get chickenpox a second time

Who is at risk

The likelihood of getting chickenpox is much higher in those people who have reduced immunity, and it doesn’t matter if a person has been ill in childhood or not. The risk group includes the following patients:

patients with cancer;
people with human immunodeficiency virus;
patients after organ transplantation;
patients with hepatitis of various types;
pregnant women;
people with serious chronic diseases that affect the immune system;
patients who underwent a course of powerful antibiotic therapy;
patients constantly exposed to stress, suffering from neuropsychiatric disorders;
people suffering from alcoholism, drug addiction;
patients who have undergone a large radiation exposure;
patients with autoimmune pathologies.

Symptoms of recurrent chickenpox

The manifestations of chicken pox largely depend on how weakened the adult's body is, since a certain level of antibodies still remains, although the level of the immune system at the time of herpes activation does not allow fighting the activity of the herpes virus.

Patients may also have a prodromal period when the disease begins to show its first signs, but visually the vesicles are not yet visible. In the prodromal period, a person becomes lethargic, tired, he has unpleasant pulling sensations in the place where the rash forms. The prodromal period usually lasts about a day.

The duration of the active period of the disease is from three to five days. In the early days, a person may not even suspect chickenpox if the signs of the disease are not visible to him, for example, with chickenpox on the back, on the lower back. But the general symptoms of recurrent chickenpox in adults come to the fore - severe weakness, drowsiness, irritability, headaches, a feeling of weakness and a slight increase in body temperature are possible. Therefore, in the first days, patients do not suspect herpes, but think that they have caught a cold.

The characteristic signs of the first days of development of secondary chicken pox are:

feeling of weakness, aching muscles;
loss of appetite, nausea;
dizziness, photophobia;
soreness in the joints and muscles, not only during exercise, but also during rest;
daytime sleepiness and insomnia at night;
soreness in the eyes when trying to move them;
subfebrile condition.

The appearance of a characteristic rash on the skin slightly alleviates the patient's condition. Rash spots with secondary chickenpox can be scattered throughout the body, as in childhood, but most often they are crowded in one place, mainly in the back, on the lower back, a rash may appear on the shoulders with a transition to the neck, shoulder blades. The bubbles, although they are located quite densely, but they do not merge together.

After a few weeks, the fluid inside the vesicles becomes cloudy - this is the causative agents of the disease dying as a result of the fight against the cells of the immune system. In place of the bubbles, dried crusts appear, which disappear within a few days and a new epidermis remains under them.

Chickenpox in an adult can also occur in a different scenario. In this case, herpetic vesicles appear in small groups of 5-7 pimples, but they appear in several places and in waves. As soon as the first group of rashes heals, new manifestations of the skin rash can be seen already in other places. This scenario for adults is the norm, since chickenpox is more severe. In this case, the disease is delayed for several weeks. Recovery usually occurs in about 3-4 weeks.

In older people, the course of the disease is accompanied by complications and is more severe. It is possible to attach a bacterial infection - otitis media, pneumonia, encephalitis. Chickenpox in recurrent cases is accompanied by nausea with vomiting, fainting, a person has an acute reaction to the slightest stimuli.

A feature of severe chickenpox is the spread of vesicles to the mucous membranes. Rash vesicles appear in the oral cavity, in the genital area, in the anus, and in some atypical cases, herpetic infection vesicles also appear in the respiratory organs. The rash is accompanied by severe burning and itching, and the temperature rises to forty degrees.

With this course of the disease, a weakened immune system often cannot cope with a bacterial infection, as a result of which the vesicles suppurate and leave behind scars and scars. If shingles has appeared in an older person, he needs special care.

How to treat recurrent chickenpox

If a person happens to get chickenpox for the second time, the treatment of the disease should be taken with the utmost responsibility. If you organize the correct therapy of the disease, you can significantly reduce the unpleasant manifestations of the disease and prevent the development of complications.

Chickenpox in adulthood - how to smear chickenpox except greenery

First of all, patients need to control body temperature - the causative agent of the infection is most difficult with subfebrile indicators, when the body effectively fights herpes. At higher rates, harm is done, so you should not allow an increase of more than 37.8 degrees. For this purpose, doctors recommend antipyretics, for example, Paracetamol, which also has anti-inflammatory properties.

If the skin is very itchy and itchy, you can cope with the rashes localized on the body with the help of "Fukortsin" or a brilliant green solution. They will help dry the crusts and relieve itching and burning. In the treatment of severe forms of herpes infection, drugs should be used:

"Gerpevir" - use the remedy in the form of an ointment. In tubes, 25 g of the product is produced. The main active ingredient is acyclovir. Apply the drug twice a day for ten days, lubricating the affected areas of the body.
"Acyclovir" - a drug for topical use. Contains the same active ingredient. Apply twice a day to treat affected areas.

When rashes appear, water procedures are not prohibited. You can take a shower, but do not rub the body with a washcloth, so as not to damage the integrity of the vesicles. Hygiene measures should be short-term - you can not take a shower for more than five minutes, so that the skin does not get wet.

At the stage of recovery, the crusts can be lubricated with zinc ointment or use baby cream. Sufficient drinking is recommended (at least two liters of fluid per day), bed rest, sparing nutrition with high calorie portions.

Chickenpox in adults - treatment

Is re-infection dangerous?

If you get chickenpox again, it threatens with more serious complications compared to the consequences of the disease in childhood. This is precisely the danger of infection, because a person may experience the following complications:

deterioration of vision up to complete loss;
long-lasting pain syndrome;
increased risk of internal bleeding;
inflammatory diseases of the oral mucosa;
damage to the organs of the urinary system;
sepsis, arthritis, encephalitis.

Chickenpox is highly contagious, so a person can get the disease twice. The repeated course of the disease is characterized by more severe symptoms and threatens with serious complications. Therefore, in order to prevent relapses, it is necessary to constantly strengthen the immune system so as not to get chickenpox twice, and when symptoms of chickenpox appear, treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor.

Everyone has heard of such an infection as chicken pox. The virus that causes this disease is highly contagious, so the human body most often encounters it in childhood. Many people are interested in the question: is it possible to get chickenpox a second time after some time?

How does chickenpox get infected?

How many times do they get chickenpox, what affects it? Many people face this problem only once in their life. The virus that causes chickenpox is transmitted by airborne droplets. At the same time, you can get chickenpox even with a short stay in the same room with the patient.

You can get rid of the chickenpox virus in the apartment with the help of regular ventilation and wet cleaning. The disease-causing organism will quickly die in such conditions.

In a child or adult, the disease develops in the following stages:

incubation period - from 1 to 3 weeks;
prodromal period - about a day;
period of high virus activity - from 3 days to 2 weeks;
the recovery period is 1-3 weeks.

Characteristic symptoms

With primary or re-infection with chickenpox, almost the same symptoms appear.. A sick person first develops weakness, fatigue, possibly a slight increase in temperature. Everything that is characteristic of the classic ARVI is happening.

Only after a few days a rash appears, which is the main symptom of chickenpox. In adults, chickenpox symptoms begin with red patches on the skin. After some time, they are converted into small bubbles with liquid inside. After three days, the rash becomes covered with a dense crust, which disappears on its own in about 10-20 days.

With chickenpox, the patient usually has a fever. Body temperature can rise to 37-39 degrees.

A rash in pathology appears in waves. New papules are repeatedly formed, which are on the body along with dried crusts. Can there be chickenpox without this rash? The disease almost always manifests itself in this way, although there are other atypical symptoms - nausea, loss of coordination of movements, the formation of abscesses, zones of necrosis.

How many times can you get infected

Is it possible to get chickenpox again, how likely is it? To answer this question, it is necessary to consider the mechanism of transmission of a pathogenic virus. The penetration of a pathogenic microorganism into the human body occurs through the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx or eyes. As a result, the infected person has an active reproduction of the virus and its movement along with the bloodstream. Thus, it is able to penetrate into all the cells of the body, which during the incubation period is not accompanied by any symptoms. At the peak of its activity, the virus infects the skin, which is manifested by the appearance of a rash. This sign is considered the main one in diagnosing chickenpox in both children and adults.

We must not forget that re-infection with chickenpox is extremely rare, because after meeting with the virus, the human body produces specific antibodies. These are special immunoglobulins or compounds of a protein nature. They are able to repeatedly suppress the activity of the virus, so the majority of people get chickenpox only once in a lifetime.

In most cases, an adult or child cannot be re-infected, since the antibodies produced deactivate the virus and destroy all the cells it has modified.

Subsequently, some of these immunity structures self-destruct. At the same time, part of the immunoglobulins remains in the human body in the form of memory cells. They provide lifelong immunity and protect against the reappearance of chickenpox.

But in some cases, there is a failure of the protective functions of the body. This leads to the loss of acquired immunity. Therefore, if you ask a doctor how many times you can get chickenpox, he will not give a definite answer. Is it possible to get infected with this pathogenic virus a second time? This variant of the development of events is probable, but occurs only in the presence of certain factors.

When can reinfection occur?

Can you get chickenpox again? Such a rare phenomenon occurs under the influence of adverse factors:

Atypical causes of relapse

You can get chickenpox again as a result of external factors. Sometimes the disease recurs in a person's life in response to severe stress, a change of place of residence. In some cases, it is very difficult to find out the true causes of chickenpox infection in adults. Sometimes even the banal use of antibiotics or other drugs can lead to this. Therefore, any drug treatment should take place under the strict supervision of specialists.

Some doctors argue that it is impossible to get chickenpox twice. They attribute recurrences of chickenpox to misdiagnosis of the primary disease. The manifestations found could signal a completely different problem. Therefore, in rare situations, infection with chickenpox 2 times can actually be a primary infection.

How does relapse occur?

Is it possible to get chickenpox if this problem was observed before? Most experts are of the opinion that the recurrence of the disease manifests itself in the form of herpes zoster. Can a child get this disease?

Herpes zoster appears at any time, but the elderly or those with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to it. It can develop in a person who has previously had chickenpox. In this case, the activation of the virus occurs due to "internal" causes.

Chickenpox re-evolves with the following clinical picture:

Rashes characteristic of chickenpox are localized only on one side. They are most often located along the nerve trunks.
Before the appearance of a rash, a person feels unwell, tired. The patient may have an increase in body temperature.
Herpes zoster is accompanied by an increase in the size of the lymph nodes, the presence of pain.
After healing of the formed papules, pigmentation remains on the skin, which may not disappear for a long time.
Herpes zoster is characterized by the appearance of postherpetic neuralgia, which is quite difficult to treat.

Now it is clear that the question of whether people get chickenpox a second time is very difficult. In any case, re-infection is possible only in individual cases, if certain factors are present.