{"id":5760,"date":"2023-02-20T17:53:13","date_gmt":"2023-02-20T17:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.articlespringer.com\/?p=5760"},"modified":"2023-02-20T17:53:13","modified_gmt":"2023-02-20T17:53:13","slug":"chicken-pox-definition-reason-symptoms-treatment-prevention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.articlespringer.com\/chicken-pox-definition-reason-symptoms-treatment-prevention\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicken Pox Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention"},"content":{"rendered":"
Chickenpox is an infectious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. Find out the causes, symptoms, and treatment of chickenpox here.<\/p>\n
Chickenpox<\/strong><\/p>\n Chickenpox<\/strong>\u00a0(\u00a0chickenpox<\/em>\u00a0) is an acute infectious disease caused by\u00a0Varicella zoster<\/em>.\u00a0This infectious disease is also known as varicella.<\/p>\n Just like other diseases caused by viruses,\u00a0chickenpox<\/em>\u00a0can heal by itself or is a\u00a0self-limiting disease<\/em>.<\/p>\n Chickenpox is caused by infection with the\u00a0Varicella zoster<\/em> virus.<\/p>\n This virus can be transmitted quickly through the air when the patient coughs or sneezes, as well as direct contact from mucus, saliva, or from blisters on the skin.<\/p>\n People with chickenpox can transmit this virus from 1-2 days before the rash appears until the blisters dry up.<\/p>\n Symptoms of chickenpox generally appear 10-21 days after exposure to the varicella virus.<\/p>\n The initial symptoms that appear are red spots that itch and generally appear on the chest, back, face, then spread throughout the body.<\/p>\n In some cases, the chickenpox rash can spread to other areas, such as the eyes, throat, and genitals.<\/p>\n The chickenpox rash has three distinct stages, namely:<\/p>\n Apart from the appearance of the chickenpox rash, other accompanying features are:<\/p>\n Several risk factors can increase the occurrence of chickenpox, including:<\/p>\n In making the diagnosis of\u00a0chickenpox<\/em>, doctors generally look at the clinical characteristics of the existing skin lesions.<\/p>\n Several diagnostic steps are carried out, including:<\/p>\n Systematic medical interviews are still being carried out to confirm the diagnosis of chickenpox.<\/p>\n The doctor will ask questions, such as when complaints of spots or chickenpox rash appeared, accompanying symptoms, and whether there was contact with sufferers of chickenpox before.<\/p>\n Physical examination in people with chickenpox is very typical, namely the discovery of skin lesions in the form of vesicles that are shaped like dewdrops (teardrops).<\/p>\n In addition, various skin lesions can be found in various stages.<\/p>\n In some cases, patients can also experience a secondary bacterial infection which gives an appearance of swelling, redness, and pus coming out of the chickenpox lesions.<\/p>\n An easy supporting examination to do at an affordable cost is the Tzanck test.<\/p>\n This test is carried out by taking a sample from the scraping base of the vesicle lesion on the skin.<\/p>\n This scraping sample will later be stained with Giemsa stain and viewed under a microscope.<\/p>\n A positive result will give an appearance of inclusion bodies and multinucleated data cells.<\/p>\n One of the sensitive supporting examinations in diagnosing chickenpox is a polymerase chain reaction,<\/em>\u00a0aka PCR.<\/p>\n PCR is performed by taking samples from skin lesions, either in the form of vesicles or crusts.<\/p>\n The serological examination is carried out to detect the presence or absence of varicella-specific antibodies. However, this test is less sensitive than PCR.<\/p>\n Active IgM serology indicates active infection, but cannot distinguish whether this is primary infection, reinfection, or reactivation.<\/p>\n In addition, active IgG may indicate a recent infection or immunity resulting from vaccination.<\/p>\n In addition to PCR, virus isolation techniques that can be used to diagnose varicella include\u00a0direct fluorescent antibody assay<\/em>\u00a0(DFA) and viral culture.<\/p>\n However, these two techniques are not recommended considering their lower sensitivity level compared to PCR.<\/p>\n In addition, getting viral culture results also takes longer.<\/p>\n Considering that chickenpox is caused by a viral infection and is\u00a0a self-limiting disease<\/em>, the treatment given is generally supportive.<\/p>\n In some cases, antiviral administration can be considered, especially for groups at risk of complications.<\/p>\n To relieve the symptoms that appear, the doctor can give certain chickenpox drugs.<\/p>\n To reduce itching, your doctor may suggest using topical calamine lotion.<\/p>\n Apart from that, it can also be suggested to use antihistamines such as diphenhydramine, loratadine, and cetirizine to help reduce itching.<\/p>\n To relieve fever, headaches, and muscle aches, the doctor will prescribe paracetamol.<\/p>\n Avoid giving aspirin to people with smallpox because it can cause complications with Reye’s syndrome.<\/p>\n Make sure you consult first if you want to give medicines to people with smallpox, especially if you use over-the-counter drugs.<\/p>\n In groups of people at risk, the administration of antivirals can help relieve symptoms and reduce complications.<\/p>\n Some antiviruses that are commonly used include:<\/p>\n Varicella zoster immunoglobulin<\/em>\u00a0(VZIG) can be given\u00a0to groups that are especially vulnerable, namely newborns of mothers who have had chickenpox before or after giving birth, premature babies, children aged less than 1 year, and pregnant women.<\/p>\n It is recommended to give VZIG immediately or up to 10 days after exposure to varicella.<\/p>\n Apart from taking medicines recommended by doctors, there are several treatments that can be done at home to help relieve symptoms.<\/p>\n The following is a summary of the list of drugs associated with chickenpox:<\/p>\n An effective way to prevent chickenpox is to vaccinate against chickenpox.<\/p>\n This vaccination is highly recommended for children and adults who have not received the chickenpox vaccine.<\/p>\n Based on the immunization schedule recommended by the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), the chickenpox vaccine is given to infants in 2 doses.\u00a0Vaccination can be started from the age of 12-18 months with an interval of 6 weeks to 3 months.<\/p>\n If the child is 13 years old or older, chickenpox vaccination is still given but the interval between the first and second doses is 4-6 weeks.<\/p>\n In adults, the chickenpox vaccine can be given immediately regardless of age.<\/p>\n As with vaccinations in children, the chickenpox vaccine in adults is also given in 2 doses with an interval of 4-8 weeks from the first dose.<\/p>\n Despite being an effective preventive measure against chickenpox, chickenpox vaccination cannot be given to groups of pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems, and people who are allergic to gelatin and the antibiotic\u00a0neomycin<\/em>.<\/p>\n If you are one of this group, the prevention you can take is to avoid contact with people who are sick with chickenpox.<\/p>\n If a family member has chickenpox, there are several steps that can be taken as an effort to prevent transmission of infection at home, such as:<\/p>\n After recovering from chickenpox, the\u00a0Varicella zoster<\/em>\u00a0virus actually resides in the nerve cells.<\/p>\n Later, this virus will be active and return in the form of shingles or shingles.<\/p>\n This disease can appear usually triggered because of low body resistance.<\/p>\n Although in general, this disease is not dangerous, chickenpox still has complications. Some of the complications of chickenpox that arise include:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n Medical specialist<\/strong><\/td>\n Dermatology and genital specialist, children<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Symptom<\/strong><\/td>\n Vesicles such as\u00a0teardrops<\/em>, followed by symptoms of fever, muscle aches, weakness, loss of appetite<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n risk factor<\/strong><\/td>\n Have never received chickenpox vaccination, low immune system<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n How to diagnose<\/strong><\/td>\n Physical examination<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Treatment<\/strong><\/td>\n Get enough rest, drink enough, take symptomatic drugs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Drug<\/strong><\/td>\n Paracetamol, antihistamines (loratadine, cetirizine, diphenhydramine), calamine lotion, antivirals (acyclovir, valacyclovir, famciclovir)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Complications<\/strong><\/td>\n Pneumonia, secondary bacterial infection, sepsis, dehydration, problems with pregnancy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n When to see a doctor?<\/strong><\/td>\n Smallpox lesions in the eyes, high fever, decreased consciousness, shortness of breath<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Understanding<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Reason<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Symptom<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Risk Factors<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Diagnosis<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Medical Interview<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Physical examination<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Tzanck’s test<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Serological Examination<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Direct Fluorescent Antibody Assay (DFA) and Virus Culture<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Treatment<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Drug Therapy<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Home Care<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Related Drugs<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Prevention<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Complications<\/strong><\/h2>\n