Could chickenpox be the second time? Chickenpox in adults re-infection Chickenpox re-infection in children.

Chickenpox is a common disease that most often develops during childhood. It is believed that its single occurrence is a guarantee of lifelong immunity from this disease. But in fact, cases of repeated chickenpox disease are known. How is this possible?

What is chickenpox?

Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease. Usually children get sick with it, as in children's groups the virus is transmitted very quickly. The disease makes itself felt only two to three weeks after infection, manifesting itself with a number of characteristic symptoms. With the development of chickenpox, the patient's temperature rises sharply (sometimes up to 39-40 ° C), symptoms of intoxication appear (aches, headaches, swollen lymph nodes), and rashes form on the skin and mucous membranes that look like bubbles and cause severe itching ... A rash is the main manifestation of chickenpox and spreads throughout the body. Over time, the bubbles dry out, forming crusts. After the last rash dries up, the person ceases to be infectious.

Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus from the herpesvirus family. It enters the body through airborne droplets. After a person has had chickenpox, antibodies to such a virus are produced in his body. But the pathogen itself does not leave the body, but goes into a dormant form. Usually, its amount is as minimal as possible that the infection cannot develop or be transmitted to people around it.

Sometimes, under the influence of certain factors, the virus can be activated, causing the onset of the disease. And it is often mistaken for the re-development of chickenpox.

Is repeated chickenpox possible?

In fact, doctors are sure that the re-emergence of chickenpox is simply impossible, since the virus that causes it is not prone to mutation. Most often, secondary infection is spoken of when the diagnosis is incorrect (either in the first or in the second case of the disease). Indeed, when symptoms characteristic of chickenpox appear, almost no one conducts laboratory tests - the search for antibodies to the varicella-zoster virus.

It is also possible that chickenpox develops in a newborn. In this case, the mechanism for the production of antibodies to such a disease may be disrupted, due to the insufficient development of the immune system. A child who has had chickenpox in infancy may well face it when he is older. But this is more the exception than the rule.

Some doctors argue that the production of antibodies can be disrupted in other conditions, which are accompanied by disruptions in the activity of the immune system. But in such cases, secondary chickenpox is not pure chickenpox, but shingles.

Shingles is considered as a separate disease caused by the same varicella-zoster virus. This pathogen after the initial defeat of chickenpox remains inside the body, but when exposed to certain factors, it can be activated and cause a number of unpleasant symptoms.

Various conditions, which are accompanied by a strong decrease in immunity, can contribute to the occurrence of shingles. They can be represented by chronic overwork and stress, cancer, HIV infections and AIDS. A decrease in immunity can be triggered by taking certain medications (immunosuppressants and corticosteroids) and radiation therapy.

People with shingles are contagious. After contact with them, a person who has never had chickenpox may develop this disease.

Features of the course of shingles

Shingles runs slightly differently than chickenpox. A few days before the onset of obvious symptoms of the disease, a person is faced with a feeling of pronounced malaise. He is worried about noticeable weakness, headaches, and joint aches. Also, activation of the virus can be accompanied by fever and chills. Quite often, in the places of future rashes, a feeling of pain, unpleasant burning and itching appears. These areas can also respond with numbness and tingling.

After a few days (from one to four), rashes appear on the skin. At the same time, the temperature usually remains high, it can reach forty degrees. The rashes at first look like pinkish spots, and over time transform into bubbles filled with transparent contents (which is also typical for chickenpox). Most often, the rash is unilateral, occurring along the nerves on the patient's body. In the overwhelming majority of cases, it is localized in the chest area, less often on the face. The rash is painful and may burn and itch. Sometimes the rash delivers especially severe discomfort, up to unbearable pain.

Over time, the rash dries up, becomes covered with a crust. With normal immunity, recovery occurs in two weeks - one month.

The main feature of herpes zoster is that pain after such a disease can bother the patient for a very long time, which is classified by doctors as postherpetic neuralgia.

As you know, chickenpox does not need targeted therapy if it proceeds without complications. But with the development of shingles, effective treatment helps to speed up recovery, eliminate pain and avoid the unpleasant consequences of the disease (the same postherpetic neuralgia).

Therefore, patients with such ailment are prescribed antiviral drugs containing acyclovir, famciclovir, or valacyclovir. They are able to integrate into the DNA of viruses, interfering with their reproduction. To eliminate painful symptoms, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are usually used. Ibuprofen often becomes the drug of choice, ketorolac or naproxen, etc. can also be used. Doctors may prescribe additional medications to patients, for example, amantadine sulfate.

Shingles in the overwhelming majority of cases ends in a successful recovery. Complications are possible with a catastrophic disorder of the immune system. In such situations, the therapy of this pathology is carried out exclusively in the inpatient department.

Thus, the secondary development of chickenpox is a common myth for which there is no scientific confirmation. When the varicella-zoster virus is reactivated in the body, a completely different disease develops - shingles.

Many people are interested in the question of whether it is possible to get chickenpox a second time if a person had this disease in childhood.

Chickenpox in the common people is called chickenpox. This disease has a high degree of infectiousness and is very easily transmitted from a sick person to a healthy person by airborne transmission. This disease is considered common in childhood. It is generally accepted that in the process of transferring the disease in childhood, a person develops a persistent immunity to this ailment. However, it should be noted that there are some exceptions to this rule. Therefore, the question of whether they get chickenpox again is not meaningless.

For some categories of the population, the question of whether it is possible to get chickenpox a second time is very relevant. In medical practice, cases of re-infection have recently become common.

To study the question of the likelihood of re-infection, you need to know what constitutes an ailment such as chickenpox, and what characteristic signs it has.

Chickenpox - characteristics of the disease

It is difficult for an adult body to cope with an emerging infection, since a person is practically defenseless against a virus attacking him. Very often, during the development of the disease in an adult, the appearance of pain in the throat is observed, in some cases the appearance of seizures may occur, and the disease itself lasts a longer time.

Chickenpox is classified as a type of ailment, which is characterized by an independent course and gradual abatement.

Important! Chickenpox is a very common disease, the course of the disease is not distinguished by a high degree of complexity, and when a child's body is infected, it cures quickly enough.You need to know that this disease can cause a rather tangible discomfort in a child, which is reflected in a deterioration in general well-being and the state of the body.

One of the open questions is the question of how exactly the pathogen of chickenpox spreads between people. Massive and rapid infection of children occurs when a sick baby is in a large group of children in a closed room. In this case, the probability of infection of all children in the group approaches 100%.

The herpes virus, which is the causative agent of chickenpox, is highly infectious. The conditions most suitable for its rapid spread are closed-type premises with a large concentration of children or people exposed to viruses. In some cases, infection of a healthy person from a sick person in an open space is possible, since the virus can spread up to 20 m from the source of infection. A child under appropriate conditions can become infected with chickenpox from an adult suffering from herpes zoster, since the causative agent of these ailments is one type of herpes virus.

It is widely believed among doctors that after chickenpox, the virus is localized in the spinal tissues in a dormant state, and if favorable conditions arise, it is able to wake up, which can provoke re-infection with chickenpox. In addition, the activation of the virus from a dormant state can provoke the development of such an unpleasant disease as shingles. Most often, you can get chickenpox again in adulthood.

Development of repeated itching

The rash that occurs during the development of chickenpox in the body for the second time indicates active processes of inflammation in the vessels of the surface layer of the skin. During the incubation period of the development of the disease, the herpes virus is transported from the place of penetration - from the epithelium of the respiratory system to the circulatory and lymphatic systems. Through these systems, the pathogen reaches the surface layer of the skin, in addition, through the circulatory and lymphatic system, the pathogen penetrates into all organs.

Today, experts distinguish several forms and varieties of chickenpox:

• • easy form;
  • form of the disease of moderate severity;
  • severe form;
  • latent atypical form;
  • gangrenous form;
  • hemorrhagic;
  • generalized form.

Important! Secondarily, a person most often develops severe and moderate forms of the disease.

Patients in the case of the development of these forms of the disease experience severe weakness and malaise, in addition, a person with chickenpox is prone to rapid fatigue. In addition, there may be a sleep disorder, a deterioration in the general well-being of the body and a significant increase in the general body temperature.

Can you get chickenpox a second time?

Chickenpox in childhood is normal for humans. In the course of illness, a stable immunity is formed in the body, which is able to persist throughout life.

The development of chickenpox is accompanied by severe rashes on the surface of the skin, the resulting rash causes severe itching. The problem is that you cannot comb the areas affected by the rash. Damage to the resulting blisters of the rash can provoke the penetration of a more serious infection into the body, which will provoke the development of complications.

Chickenpox is difficult in adolescents and older people.

Many parents, after their children have had chickenpox, are interested in the question of whether it is possible to get chickenpox a second time. There is no definite answer to this question, but it is worth noting the fact that there are cases of re-infection.

People who are interested in the question of whether it is possible to get chickenpox again should get acquainted with the statistical data obtained by doctors recently, and they answer affirmatively to the question of whether people get chickenpox again. The fact is that, in accordance with the data of medical statistics, up to 20% of people who have had this disease in childhood are exposed to re-infection with chickenpox. In an adult state, a person suffers this ailment more severely than in childhood. Chickenpox, which develops again in old age, is especially dangerous.

The main symptom of repeated chickenpox is the appearance of a characteristic rash on the skin. With the development of chickenpox in an adult, symptoms such as:

• • weakness;
  • increased general temperature;
  • pain in muscle tissues and joints.

These characteristic symptoms of the disease when a person is re-infected are more pronounced than when a child is infected. In some cases, when a child develops a disease, these symptoms may be almost invisible. The incubation period for the development of chickenpox with re-infection of the body lasts 21 days.

Under what conditions does chickenpox re-infection occur?

For those who are wondering whether there can be chickenpox in the body again, it should be remembered that the course of the disease in an adult is more severe compared to the course of infection in a child's body.

When a person is re-infected with chickenpox, a person experiences severe itching in places of the skin, on which a rash forms.

Despite the fact that chickenpox is a common disease in childhood, and it develops in many children, there is a high degree of likelihood of re-developing the disease at a more mature age.

Does chickenpox happen again? Most doctors answer this question in the affirmative. Re-infection occurs when a person has poor immunity and a weak body resistance to infection.

Most often, with re-infection with chickenpox, the disease is very difficult. Blisters that form on the surface of the skin are larger than those that form with primary chickenpox. The inflammatory process is more pronounced.

When the body is re-infected with the pathogen of chickenpox, all signs and symptoms appear with a vengeance, and the disease itself is more severe.

The clinical manifestations of repeated chickenpox have significant differences. The disease is called shingles. After a person has had this ailment, a stable immunity to the causative agent of the disease is formed in the body, which persists throughout life. When investigating the question of whether re-infection with chickenpox is possible, it should be noted that re-occurrence of the disease is possible in people who have a certain predisposition to the development of this disease.

The insidiousness of contracting the herpes virus that causes chickenpox to recur in adulthood

In a person who has re-infected with chickenpox, there is a significant deterioration in well-being, in addition to this, a significant decrease in appetite is observed. The body of a sick person is exposed to the increased influence of the inflammatory process occurring in the body. In this case, there is an increase in temperature and the appearance of blisters, which are filled with liquid contents on the affected areas of the skin. After maturation, the blisters rupture and small ulcers form.

Over time, the sites of formation of blisters and ulcers begin to dry out. A crust forms on the surface, it comes off after a while, and a normal skin is formed at the site of ulceration. The duration of repeated chickenpox is 20 days. The duration and complexity of the course of repeated chickenpox is greatly influenced by the state of human immunity. The weaker the body's immune system, the longer it takes for blisters to appear and mature.

In the case of the development of shingles, the patient experiences severe pain and burning sensations in the area of ​​subsequent blistering. A rash at the site of the burning sensation appears some time after the onset of the disease.

The site of localization of shingles is the lateral surface of the torso, leg or arm. This disease is quite difficult, and this is due to the fact that people get sick in adulthood, children are not susceptible to this disease.

Chickenpox has always been considered a childhood illness, so if a child once had chickenpox in childhood, then the question of whether it is possible to get chickenpox again is not idle, especially if the illness in childhood was mild, and the likelihood that in the child's body did not have time to form a stable immunity to the virus, minimal.

Attention! Chickenpox in an adult can provoke the development of serious complications, the occurrence of which is due to the fact that each adult organism has a different degree of protection.

Treating repeated chickenpox

It should be noted that the healing process of the body can be significantly accelerated, and the unpleasant symptoms accompanying the development of the disease can be reduced. Removing the severity of symptoms contributes to the relief of the disease. Very often, doctors are asked the question of how you can reduce the manifestation of the symptoms of the disease and which remedies are most effective.

To alleviate the condition during the peak period of the development of the disease, it is recommended to lower the body temperature, trying to keep it in normal parameters. For this purpose, you can use various antipyretic drugs, such as Paracetamol. The use of Paracetamol is also justified from the point of view of the fact that this drug has anti-inflammatory properties.

To neutralize the pain and itching that occurs during the formation of a rash characteristic of chickenpox, you can use the lubrication of skin rashes with brilliant green 1 time per day. Fukortsin solution can be used to lubricate the rash.

With the development of especially severe conditions, it is recommended to use antiviral drugs in the process of carrying out medical procedures, which can significantly stop the development and spread of herpes virus in the body. It can be Gerpevir, available in tablets and capsules, or Acyclovir. The use of Diazolin also makes it possible to significantly reduce the manifestations of general symptoms and does not make it possible to develop puffiness in the body.

In addition, to speed up the healing process, it is recommended to use drugs such as Tavegil and Suprastin. These drugs are mildly hypnotic and soothe itching.

Chickenpox happens only once in a lifetime - most people live with this statement, but practice shows the opposite. In medicine, cases are described when chickenpox was diagnosed again. However, the opinion of experts still differs: some talk about an incorrect diagnosis, the second - it is possible to get sick again under the influence of a combination of negative factors. Such cases are rare. The overwhelming majority of people have experienced the disease once.

Does chickenpox happen twice?

Chickenpox develops as a result of the penetration of the type 3 herpes virus into the human body. Another name for the pathogen is varicelle-zoster. After illness, the patient develops a strong immunity to infection.

Most of the disease occurs in childhood. Up to 7 years old, it proceeds easily, recovery occurs faster, there are no complications. In adults, chickenpox is characterized by a severe course, the occurrence of negative consequences.

A virus that has entered the body remains in it forever, even after a cure. The pathogen is latent, does not cause pathological activity, therefore, does not manifest itself in any way. On the question of whether it is possible to get sick with chickenpox again, scientists are still debating, they have not come to one conclusion.

Their opinions differ dramatically:

• Some believe that it is impossible to get sick with chickenpox a second time. All diagnoses that confirm the development of chickenpox 2 times are erroneous. Indeed, some diseases provoked by the same pathogen cause similar clinical manifestations. There are differences in rashes, but in most cases, doctors do not prescribe laboratory tests, since the rash is characteristic of chickenpox. As a result, misdiagnosis;
• Other doctors believe that chickenpox get sick once. However, in adulthood, the virus can lead to shingles. Since there is one pathogen, then there is one pathology, only clinical manifestations differ somewhat;
• Third opinion of doctors to the question whether it is possible to get sick again, positive. They argue that the virus is capable of "waking up" under the influence of harmful circumstances, provoking a secondary infection. This happens 10-20 years after the first disease. At the same time, the likelihood of a mutation of the virus in the body is noted.

Conclusion: there is no exact answer to the question of whether it is possible to get chickenpox a second time. At the same time, re-infection is not denied by 100%, respectively, there is a probability.

Who gets sick the second time?

Objectively, the development of chickenpox a second time is the minimum probability. People with a history of the disease acquire strong immunity to the development of pathology. But if the activity of the immune system is disrupted, immunity to the virus can be leveled, which leads to a secondary disease.

The risk group includes persons:

1. People with a history of human immunodeficiency virus.
2. Cancer patients who have undergone chemotherapy.
3. Patients suffering from two or more chronic diseases, taking strong drugs for a long period.
4. Women during pregnancy.
5. Patients with chronic anemia.

As already noted, it is possible to get chickenpox 2 times. However, it is possible that an adult has shingles - an exacerbation caused by provoking factors, as a result of which the immune status is significantly reduced, and the "dormant" herpes virus wakes up and becomes active.

Secondary infection is characterized by a severe course, complications of varying severity are almost always present. If a characteristic rash is detected while carrying a baby in the first trimester, doctors recommend terminating the pregnancy. Since the likelihood of intrauterine growth disorders is high.

Clinical manifestations of re-infection

As with the primary infection, it all starts with a deterioration in well-being. There is weakness, general malaise, and a headache appears. The temperature rises, but slightly, or remains within the normal range.

It is worth knowing: if for the first time chickenpox is infected by airborne droplets from a patient, then re-infection comes "from within" the body due to a malfunction of the immune system.

Rashes on the body appear 2-4 days after the first signs of deterioration in general well-being appear. Reinfection is characterized by multiple rashes affecting the entire body. This increases the duration of the rash up to 9 days.

If there was a re-infection with chickenpox, then the development mechanism is as follows:

• Deterioration of the general condition;
• The appearance of bubbles with liquid contents;
• Blistering, ulceration;
• The onset of crusts, subsequent falling off.

The duration of the rash is due to the state of the patient's immune system. The weaker the person, the longer the new rash lasts and the more severe the disease goes away.

If we take the clinic for herpes zoster as a basis, and answer the question of whether it is possible to get chickenpox 2 times, negatively, then the manifestations are as follows:

1. Painful sensations, itching and burning at the site of the future rash.
2. The appearance of blisters in the affected area - arm, leg, side, etc.

Unlike chickenpox, lichen affects only one area of ​​the skin. In this case, the bubbles line up in a chain, they are filled with a clear liquid, pus or blood, depending on the severity of the pathology.

With shingles, the rash is one-sided, repeated rashes are not detected, unless the focus is transferred to another part of the body.

Danger of repeated chickenpox

The relevance of the question, how many times they get sick with chickenpox, is justified. Since in childhood, the disease passes relatively easily, and in adults, re-infection with chickenpox leads to various complications.

With adequate therapy for secondary chickenpox, the likelihood of complications is low. But the development of negative consequences is not excluded:

• Visual impairment. If the virus enters the cornea, then rashes appear on the eyelids, proteins of the organs of vision. After that, scars are formed, which lead to partial or complete loss of vision;
• Encephalitis, meningitis. If herpes affects the lining of the cerebral hemispheres, coordination of movements is impaired, there is a risk of irreversible complications;
• The development of arthritis. The consequences are often temporary. As soon as the last rashes disappear, the inflammatory processes in the joints are leveled.
• In pregnant women, persons of the elderly age group pneumonia develops. If the infection is not stopped in time, malfunctions of the kidneys, liver and other internal organs and systems are detected.

Even if, when asked whether there can be chickenpox twice in life, to say no, this does not detract from the fact that shingles has dangerous consequences, since the disease develops and proceeds against the background of a low immune status.

Shingles is dangerous by damage to the motor nerves, which leads to the development of paralysis, movement disorders; fraught with pneumonia, hepatitis, problems with the duodenum, bladder, etc.

For your information, the most common consequence of lichen (in 40% of patients) is pain even after recovery, which persists for several months or years.

How to prevent a second chickenpox?

Re-infection with chickenpox can be prevented. Unfortunately, simple measures will not help in this, vaccination will be required. This manipulation is not necessary, it is advisory for people at risk.

To eliminate the likelihood of having chickenpox twice in the presence of provoking factors, an injection of herpes virus antibodies is needed. It is carried out regardless of the person's age and history.

Positive aspects of the procedure:

1. Preventing the second time of chickenpox, shingles.
2. Prevention of autoimmune pathologies caused by chickenpox.

In childhood, vaccination is not recommended. Vaccinating young children does not guarantee that chickenpox will not develop in adulthood.

So how many times can you get chickenpox? Some doctors say that once, others do not exclude re-infection. However, the second option is rare, most get sick only once. In this case, shingles can be mistaken for chickenpox, which further reduces the likelihood of secondary infection. If there is a risk - immunodeficiency, AIDS, oncology, vaccination will be the prevention of secondary chickenpox and shingles. If the immune system is working properly, then the likelihood of infection is reduced to zero.

Chickenpox, in medicine called chickenpox, is a viral pathology that spreads through airborne droplets. The characteristic symptom of this disease is watery eruptions present all over the body.

Many are sure that having had chickenpox once, you will not have to get sick anymore.

But is it? Let's figure it out, is it possible to get infected with the aforementioned ailment a second time?

What is chickenpox?

What if you get chickenpox a second time during pregnancy: the danger and consequences of the disease

According to doctors, if a pregnant woman is sick with chickenpox for the second time during gestation, then it is less dangerous than catching an infection for the first time, since there are already antibodies to this virus in the blood. It is as easy as shelling pears to get sick when a pregnant woman comes into contact with an infected woman, because during this period the body is the least unprotected, and 20% of pregnant women also have weakened immunity due to a change in hormonal levels.

The danger of such a disease is that the child in utero "gets" congenital chickenpox. It is characterized by such external and internal manifestations in a newborn:

• Scars on the skin. In some cases, there is no skin on certain areas of the body.
• Bone hypoplasia, which subsequently manifests itself clubfoot.
• The fetus is born on time with a noticeable developmental lag. Muscle hypoplasia is present.
• Present defects of the nervous system and mental retardation.

If a pregnant woman has chickenpox before 20 weeks, then the risk of spontaneous miscarriage increases.

The varicella-zoster virus is in the group of herpes viruses, the common property of which is that the cure of the disease does not lead to its complete disappearance from the body. It continues to exist in the "dormant" form in the nerve ganglia of the spinal cord.

A noticeable decrease in immunity, a weakening of the body due to other diseases, severe nervous stress can wake up this virus and it will reappear. Moreover, this can occur not only in the form of the usual chickenpox, but also in the form of shingles, in which a rash appears along the nerves along the ribs.

Often, the recurrence of chickenpox is observed in young people aged twenty to thirty years. Internal infection, like ordinary nervous strain, is, if not a common, then a common phenomenon that is able to activate a dormant virus.

If a rash characteristic of chickenpox is found on the body, you should visit an immunologist to find out the cause of the recurrence of the disease and prescribe a course of immunotherapy. In adulthood, this is very important, because in this case, it is fraught with complications. In particular, intercostal neuralgia may occur, which is difficult to treat.

Chickenpox symptoms

The main symptoms of chickenpox are fever and a characteristic rash all over the body. Transmission of the virus from the outside is possible only through direct contact with the carrier of the infection, while on its own this unstable virus can exist only for the first few seconds. In this case, the patient is already dangerous as a carrier of viruses even before the manifestation of the first, which is why it is difficult to determine the path of the spread of the virus.

The main difference between the disease for adults and children is the severity of its course. If for children this is a rather harmless disease, then in the body of a sexually mature person, the virus manifests itself quite aggressively. The temperature is much higher here, the rash is more active, the loss of strength and pain during eating further aggravate the picture. If an adult suffers from chickenpox repeatedly, then, as a rule, the disease proceeds more calmly and is more easily tolerated by the body.

Chickenpox second time

If it occurs extremely rarely, then it does not become less infectious from this, the danger of transmission of infection is as high as in the first groove. In order not to be considered the main source of the epidemic in the region, it is imperative to withstand quarantine, which lasts for about half a month, especially since this time will still have to be devoted to treatment. The initial rash that occurs in two to three days is transformed into unpleasant and painful blisters.

If you succumb to the temptation to comb them to give yourself temporary relief, your skin may be permanently marked.

And all this happens with repeated chickenpox, which, as many mistakenly believe, cannot be.

How to treat chickenpox a second time?

Unfortunately, a specific treatment for this ailment has not yet been developed, and all therapeutic measures are reduced to the removal of especially pronounced symptoms. Here you just need to gain strength and patience. Self-medication here is not only meaningless, but also harmful, it is necessary to listen to the doctor and follow his instructions.

The temperature is usually brought down with paracetamol. Aspirin is strictly prohibited. Itching is relieved with diazolin, but only a doctor determines and prescribes doses. This drug has a hypnotic effect, which can have a significant impact on the patient's daily routine.

Adults are often prescribed Acyclovir.

There are a number of additional rules for the treatment of this disease. For example, it is allowed to take a shower only after the actual stabilization of the condition and the normalization of the temperature. When taking water procedures, the use of sponges, washcloths, gels is prohibited. The time for taking water treatments should be reduced. The diet and diet should be followed in the absence of appetite, you just need to apply the well-known "fractional" nutrition - eat less, but more often. The diet should be simpler, and spicy and salty foods should be excluded.

There is no prophylaxis against repeated chickenpox.