Chickenpox disease course

Most people are familiar with chickenpox. In ancient times, because there was no vaccine to treat chickenpox, chickenpox claimed the lives of most people. Although the incidence of chickenpox has been greatly reduced in modern society, some people still get chickenpox. The chance of chickenpox occurring in children is very high, which causes great panic among parents. The following article will explain to parents the detailed development process of chickenpox.

How does chickenpox occur?

Chickenpox is common in children aged 2 to 10 years old. It is an infectious disease with an acute onset and high contagiousness. Chickenpox is common in winter and spring, and often causes epidemics in kindergartens or primary schools.

The pathogen of chickenpox is varicella-zoster virus, which is present in the patient's blood, herpes fluid and oral secretions. It is mainly transmitted through the respiratory tract through droplets, and people may also be infected by contact with dust, clothes, utensils, etc. contaminated with the virus. That is to say, if healthy children often play, talk, and have close contact with children with chickenpox, they may be infected and become ill. Therefore, once you have chickenpox, you should be isolated and should not go to kindergarten or school until you are completely cured. Even children who have had contact with chickenpox patients should be isolated and observed for 2 to 3 weeks. Because symptoms do not develop immediately after infection with the virus, it usually takes 14 to 17 days for the incubation period, and up to 3 weeks in the elderly.

Chickenpox is highly contagious. The patient is the only source of infection, and about 90% of children who come into contact with him will become ill. Moreover, the disease is contagious from the day before the onset of the disease until the rash dries and forms scabs.

The onset is acute and may include systemic symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and loss of appetite. It is more obvious in adults than in children, and the rash usually appears within 1 to 2 days. It first occurs on the trunk and gradually spreads to the head, face, and limbs, with a centripetal distribution, that is, more on the trunk, less on the face and limbs, and even less on the palms and soles of the feet. It starts as a small red papule, which turns into bean-sized blisters surrounded by a red halo after a few hours. The blisters initially appear as clear water beads, with thin walls that are easily broken and accompanied by itching. The wound will dry and form a scab after 2 to 3 days, and then the scab will fall off and the wound will heal without leaving any scars. Within 3 to 5 days of onset, the rash occurs in batches, so skin lesions of different stages such as papules, blisters, and scabs can be seen at the same time. The course of the disease is about 2 to 3 weeks.

The mucous membranes of the oral cavity, conjunctiva of the eyes, pharynx, vulva, etc. may occasionally be damaged, often forming ulcers accompanied by pain.

The more rashes you have, the better. As long as they follow the general pattern of rashes, more or less is normal. If the blisters are scratched and secondary bacterial infection occurs, skin gangrene may occur and even sepsis may be caused. In addition, a small number of patients may also develop complications such as varicella pneumonia, encephalitis, myocarditis and purpura fulminans.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, this disease is caused by exogenous heat and toxic substances, which cause dampness and heat to accumulate in the skin.