Chicken pox is an acute viral disease that is transmitted by airborne droplets. About 90% of all infected are children under the age of 14 years. Nonetheless, chickenpox is also common among adults who carry the disease much harder.
The manifestation of chickenpox
The virus, penetrating the respiratory tract of a person, moves through the lymph nodes, and then enters the bloodstream.
The duration of the incubation period of the disease is from 11 to 23 days. The first sign of the onset of the disease is an increase in temperature to 37.5-38 degrees, and only after that a rash appears on the skin. Initially, it is presented in the form of small red spots, which in almost a few hours are transformed into vesicles. After 1-3 days, the bubbles burst and dry, gradually forming a dense crust. If the crust is not injured, then after it falls away there will be no scarring.
Forms of the disease
There are several typical forms of chickenpox:
- Easy. A person feels satisfactory. Temperature indicators can be within normal limits or reach 38 degrees (it all depends on the individual characteristics of the body). The rash is not abundant, mainly present on the mucous membranes in the form of single elements. The duration of rashes is 2-4 days.
- Moderate It is distinguished by mild intoxication, fever, heavy rashes, which are accompanied by itching. The duration of rashes is from 4 to 5 days. As the crust forms, the patient's condition improves.
- Heavy. There are abundant rashes on the skin, mucous membranes of the oral cavity, eyes, genitals. An increase in body temperature is observed, vomiting is present, appetite decreases, insomnia develops, and very severe itching is present. The duration of rashes is from 7 to 9 days.
The atypical forms of the disease include the following:
- Rudimentary. Most often occurs in newborns. There are single papules with barely emerging vesicles. The child's health is normal, there is no increase in temperature.
- Generalized. It is accompanied by manifestations of fever, severe intoxication is observed, there is an abundant rash on the skin and mucous membranes.
- Hemorrhagic. In addition to skin rashes, nosebleeds, vomiting of blood are observed, hemorrhages in the internal organs are possible.
The occurrence of chickenpox in pregnant women
Do women waiting for a baby get chickenpox? Yes. Unfortunately, even pregnant women are not immune to chickenpox. You can even say that women carrying a baby are most at risk of infection. Since the work of the immune system is aimed at protecting not only the woman, but also the fetus, it quickly weakens.
The occurrence of the disease occurs when in contact with a person who has chickenpox at the stage of the incubation period.
With a mild course of the disease in a pregnant woman, the following symptoms can be observed:
- temperature rise;
- the appearance of a rash on the skin and mucous membranes;
- there is a deterioration in overall health;
- decreased appetite;
- the woman gets tired quickly;
- pain in the muscles and joints occurs.
With a severe course of the disease, a pregnant woman may even experience pneumonia.
Is chickenpox dangerous for pregnant women?
The disease is particularly dangerous for a pregnant woman in the early stages of bearing a baby, that is, in the first trimester. During this period, the formation of the fetus is just beginning, so infection with chickenpox can lead to intrauterine infection, and, as a result, to miscarriage or deviations in the development of the child. Quite often there were situations when a woman who had chickenpox during pregnancy gave birth to a child with deviations in the functioning of the central nervous system, organs of vision, as well as with underdeveloped arms and legs.
Identify such violations in the development of the child is possible only after an ultrasound in the second trimester. If during the examination, severe malformations are found that are incompatible with life, then the woman immediately must offer to terminate the pregnancy.
Chickenpox in the second trimester of pregnancy
If a pregnant woman has chickenpox in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy, then she can not worry, because by the beginning of the trimester the formation of the placenta is over, and now she is able to qualitatively protect the baby from the effects of the virus. Infection of the fetus is excluded by 95%, even if the disease occurs in a woman in a severe form.
Chickenpox in the third trimester of pregnancy
Is chickenpox dangerous for pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy? Yes. The disease that occurs in the later stages of bearing a baby is just as dangerous as in the early stages. But the danger is present only if the infection occurred at 36 weeks or later.
The danger lies in the fact that for the period before labor, the woman’s body simply does not have time to form an immunity to the disease, therefore there is a very high probability of infection of the baby during passage through the birth canal or in the first days of life. In such situations, the baby develops congenital chickenpox, which is very difficult to leak, and given the lack of immune protection, it can even provoke a fatal outcome. The occurrence of deaths is also provoked by the fact that the virus affects not only the mucous membranes and skin, but also the central nervous system with internal organs.
According to statistics, if a woman was infected 4 days before labor, then out of 100 babies, from 10 to 20 receive intrauterine chickenpox. Moreover, 2-3 of them may be born dead. If the first rashes occurred 5 days before the appointed date of labor, then there is also a risk of infection of the fetus, but in this case the disease will pass in a milder form.
Regardless of the situation, if the child was infected, he is prescribed passive immunization. In this case, you can reduce the likelihood of death by 40%.
Contact of a pregnant woman with chickenpox
The only way to avoid chickenpox infection during pregnancy is to refuse contact with the virus carrier. Of course, difficulties arise with this, because during the entire incubation period, an infected person may not even realize that he is sick. Therefore, women carrying a baby are recommended to minimize contacts with other people's children, to avoid crowded places and, if possible, to wear a mask everywhere.
If, nevertheless, the pregnant woman came into contact with a chickenpox patient, you should immediately consult a doctor in order to undergo preventive treatment. To do this, the attending physician introduces serum with antibodies that prevent the development of the virus. In some cases, the serum may not help, and then chickenpox infection occurs, but it proceeds in a milder form.
And can pregnant women with chickenpox contact with those who have not yet been ill? Of course, this is undesirable. Contact of a pregnant woman with chickenpox with other people has the same consequences as, for example, contact with an infected child.
Therapy of chickenpox during pregnancy
When a pregnant woman comes in contact with an infected person and after the first rashes appear, a woman needs to immediately visit her gynecologist. After analyzing the situation and studying the gestational age, the doctor prescribes treatment. If the disease is mild and not complicated by additional infections, then no specific therapy is required. It is enough to process all the vesicles with green, and to remove itching, use a calamine lotion.
Even if there is a very severe itch and the remedy does not help, you must make every effort not to comb the vesicles, otherwise open wounds will form in their place. And such a manifestation will immediately provoke the occurrence of secondary infections.
If the infection occurred during a gestational period exceeding 20 weeks, then the woman is prescribed immunoglobulin injections. Similar injections are prescribed in case of manifestation of chickenpox symptoms immediately before labor.
In the case of a severe course of the disease, the doctor can prescribe Acyclovir, which not only inhibits the virus, but also eliminates all the unpleasant symptoms inherent in the disease. The disease in this situation is much faster. But it is worth noting that the effect of taking the drug will only occur if its use occurred on the first day after the manifestation of chickenpox symptoms. It should be noted that if the infection occurred after 20 weeks of pregnancy, then the use of "Acyclovir" is strictly prohibited, since it can cause significant harm to the fetus.
Chickenpox Reappearance
Contrary to popular belief that a person who has already had chickenpox, cannot be infected again, it is possible to re-infection. Such cases are especially widespread among pregnant women.
That is why, even if a pregnant woman had chickenpox in childhood, she needs to be tested for the presence of antibodies to the disease. If there are none, then it is recommended to immediately be vaccinated against this virus, but after it is recommended not to become pregnant for 3 months. But after such actions, chickenpox for a pregnant woman who has had her illness in childhood will definitely not be scary!
Chickenpox Prevention
Women who plan to become pregnant are recommended, even before the baby is conceived, to carry out a number of preventive procedures to prevent the development of chickenpox:
- it is necessary to maintain immunity through healthy and nutritional;
- detect the presence of antibodies to the virus in advance;
- in the absence of antibodies to the disease, vaccination is recommended;
- if a woman or her partner is ill with chickenpox, it is necessary to protect herself during intercourse;
- with weakened immunity, visit to crowded places should be limited.
Preserving the health of the child
In order to preserve the life and health of the fetus, a pregnant woman should know the following rules:
- infection with chickenpox during gestation is not a reason for termination of pregnancy;
- with chickenpox transferred in the early stages of pregnancy, it is necessary to undergo an examination to exclude or identify fetal pathologies;
- if a woman contracted chickenpox a few weeks before labor, doctors try to extend the period of gestation;
- for prophylactic purposes, newborns born from infected mothers are given a vaccine to produce antibodies to the virus;
- breastfeeding can only begin after the acute period of the disease has passed.
If you follow all the prescribed instructions, then infection with chickenpox during the process of bearing a child can be avoided or minimized its consequences.