Chicken Pox PMU

Shingles treatment

Antiviral medications (such as acyclovir, valacyclovir, famciclovir) can shorten the length and severity of the illness Pain medications, wet compresses, calamine lotion and colloidal oatmeal baths may help with itching

Chicken Pox Epidemiology

Childhood rite of passage: • Vaccine greatly reduced people who got measles. • Not common in healthy people. • More common in infants, adolescents/adults, pregnant women, anyone w/ comprised immune systems.

Signs and Symptoms for chicken pox

Classic rash 1-2 days before the rash: o Fever o Tiredness o Loss of appetite o Headache

How do we diagnose chicken pox?

Clinical examination- characteristic rash Serological tests (blood test): o Detection of IgM antibodies to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) o Not as accurate after vaccination Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for viral DNA

Mode of Transmission for chicken pox

Droplet transmission Direct Contact • Contagious from 1-2 days before the rash, until all blisters have formed scabs. • The Incubation period is about 10-21 days.

What type of virus is Varicella

Enveloped, DNA virus

Describe Rash in Chicken Pox

Itchy, fluid-filled blisters that first show up on the face, chest, and back and then spread. Lesions evolve from macules to papules and vesicles, which then crust Ulcerated lesions may develop on the mucous membranes

Symptoms of shingles

Painful rash - one side of face or body Rash forms blisters that scab over in 7-10 days In people with weakened immune systems- the rash may be more widespread on the body and look similar to a chickenpox rash (Disseminated Shingles) Non-Specific symptoms include -Fever -Headache -Nausea

Shingles Complications

Post-herpetic neuralgia- severe pain in the areas where the rash was, even after it clears • Usually resolves in a few weeks or months • Older people are at higher risk for PHN (a painful, chronic condition), and it's likely to be more severe • Can occur in up to ⅓ of untreated people who are 60 years or older Shingles on the face can affect the eye and cause vision loss

What are complications to chicken pox?

Secondary Bacterial Infections Pneumonia Encephalitis- 1 to 2/1000 (0.1 to 0.2%) cases of chickenpox Hemorrhagic complications Acute postinfectious cerebellar ataxia is one of the most common neurologic complications; it occurs in 1/4000 cases in children. Reye syndrome

What other disease can you get from VZV, the same virus as chicken pox.

Shingles You can't catch shingles, but you can catch chicken pox from someone with Shingles if you are not immune

Shingles prevention

Shingles vaccine

Treatment Of Chicken Pox

Symptomatic treatment- Antipuritc lotions, anhistamine Valacyclovir or famciclovir for patients ≥ 12 years IV acyclovir for immunocompromised patients and others at risk of severe disease Antibiotics in Bacterial Super-infection

Causative organism of Chicken Pox

VZV (Varicella zoster virus) Attaches to respiratory mucosa and enters bloodstream Blood transfers virus to skin Virus causes cells to fuse and lyse - causing blisters

Latency of Chicken pox

• Virus enters sensory nerves from skin and travels to the dorsal root ganglia • Remains latent • Protected from immune system • Reservoir of virus for reactivation as *shingles*