Understanding Chicken Pox
Believe it or not, chicken pox belongs to the family of herpes viruses and is highly contagious. It also can be quite a scary condition for adults infected with it. Click to find out more about varicella.
Sanaz Majd, MD
Listen
Understanding Chicken Pox
When you hear the words “chicken pox” you probably picture those awful, itchy red welts that you had as a kid, and your mom slathering you with pink calamine lotion and telling you not to scratch. Chicken pox used to be a common rite of passage for kids in the U.S. You may have heard chicken pox referred to as “varicella,” which is the name of the virus that causes it. It belongs to the family of herpes viruses, believe it or not, and is highly contagious.
Thankfully, the rates of complications, hospitalizations, and death have all decreased greatly since the advent of the varicella vaccine in 1995. Prior to 1995, about 9,000 kids were hospitalized for chicken pox complications every year. Now it is recommended to vaccinate all kids at age 1, along with a booster at age 4, to prevent this potentially serious infectivaccine all kids less than age 5 decreased greatly since the advent of the varicellaon. Chicken pox tends to infect children rather mildly and is pretty benign, but can wreak havoc in adults infected with it.
Chicken Pox Timeline of Events
Here’s how it all happens sequentially:
-
Once you are exposed to someone who is infected with the varicella virus, it can be transmitted to you via microscopic droplets in the air from the nose or mouth of the infected individual, or via skin-to-skin contact with that person.
-
It then enters your bloodstream and takes anywhere from 2-3 weeks to cause symptoms.
-
You will first likely develop a fever, sore throat, or overall sense of ill-being, which doctors call “malaise.”
-
Then within about 24 hours, the characteristic rash of chicken pox develops and continues to spread over the next 4 days.
-
The rash then begins to heal over in the next 1-2 weeks. Some people may end up with permanent scars from it, unfortunately.
What Does the Chicken Pox Rash Look Like?
Before you convince yourself that the new rash you developed is actually chicken pox, you should familiarize yourself with some of its key features. Doctors can tell chicken pox from other rashes using these rough guidelines:
-
The rash is itchy.
-
The rash tends to develop in “crops,” or clusters. These clusters are surrounded by general redness.
-
Each spot tends to start out as flat, then becomes raised, and then turns into a vesicle (which looks like a blister) that is filled with fluid.
-
These vesicles then pop open, release fluid, and then crust over.
-
Crops tend to gather in different stages all over the body.
Potential Complications of Chicken Pox
Thankfully because of the vaccine, chicken pox is now pretty rare. And although varicella tends to be benign and self-resolving in children, it can cause the following complications in adults:
-
Skin Infections: Anytime there’s an opening in the skin, such as through a vesicle or from scratching the surface of the skin, bacteria can slide in and invade to cause a skin infection.
-
Pneumonia: This tends to be one of the most serious complications causing death in those with the chicken pox, most especially in adults. That’s because pneumonia can actually cause people to stop breathing.
-
Encephalitis: Another serious complication occurs when the virus attacks and inflames the brain and nervous system. Patients can experience problems with balance, seizures, and other neurologic symptoms, even leading ultimately to death.
-
Shingles: Chicken pox can also reappear later in life as a distinct, smaller rash that has the potential to be very painful. You can listen to What Is Shingles? my earlier podcast on this topic.
If you do become infected with the varicella virus, make sure you stay home so as to not expose others. There are many adults who have never been vaccinated, have only partial immunity, or have never been infected previously. Those with HIV, other conditions that suppress the immune system, newborn babies, and pregnant women are at high risk – so please don’t risk exposing them.
Thankfully, if you’ve had chicken pox before or been vaccinated against the virus, then your chances of getting this unpleasant and even potentially dangerous illness are slim to none.
Have you ever had the chicken pox? What was your experience like? Share it with us on the House Call Doctor’s Facebook and Twitter pages!
Please note that all content here is strictly for informational purposes only. This content does not substitute any medical advice, and does not replace any medical judgment or reasoning by your own personal health provider. Please always seek a licensed physician in your area regarding all health related questions and issues.
Girl with Chicken Pox image from Shutterstock
