If you suffer from chicken pox as a child, then life-long immunity will be developed to protect against repeated infection with this herpes variety. In addition, at an early age this virus is much easier and faster to tolerate, it rarely causes complications.
Despite the ability of varicella to spread rapidly in groups, not everyone has time to overcome it before adolescence. Therefore, it is very important to be able to identify the first signs of chickenpox at maturity, because after 18 years, this "child" disease can provoke severe irreversible health consequences, even lead to disability.
How long after the infection does the first signs and symptoms of chicken pox occur in adults?
The incubation period in this pathology is very long - up to 22 days. Any clinical manifestations, as a rule, are absent, and the infected person does not even guess the impending danger.
It is worth noting that you can catch chickenpox not only from a child who has this infection. The causative agent of the described disease is the same as the shingles, respectively, any contacts, including adults, with carriers of herpes simplex type 3, is fraught with infection.
The very first sign of chickenpox often resembles the flu. Approximately 28-30 hours before the appearance of characteristic rashes on the skin, the concentration of virus cells accumulating in the tissues of the body reaches a maximum, and early symptoms of the disease associated with severe intoxication occur.
How to recognize the first signs of chickenpox?
On the eve of the period of activation of smallpox, a person feels the phenomena characteristic of acute respiratory infection or influenza:
- aches and pains in the joints and muscles;
- weakness, drowsiness;
- increase in temperature to standard subfebrile values, not higher than 37.5 degrees;
- headache .
In adults with reduced immunity, additional symptoms of infection with the herpes simplex virus type 3 are possible:
- nausea;
- convulsive twitching of the major muscles of the limbs;
- vomiting, after which there is no relief;
- photophobia, lacrimation in bright light;
- violation of coordination of movements.
After 1-3 days, the listed signs of body intoxication are amplified, while the body temperature rises to frightening marks at 40 degrees, chills appear. So the first wave of rashes begins. It is accompanied by such signs:
- enlarged lymph nodes;
- pain, burning sensation when urinating;
- disorders of the nervous system.
Specific for chicken pox rash spreads along the descending path. On the 1st day in the scalp and in some areas of the face appear red itchy tubercles. Hourly their number increases, the areas of a neck and a breast are grasped. After 2-3 days, rashes cover the whole body, including the mucous membranes of the mouth, the respiratory tract, esophagus and genitals. Over time, the red tubercles become transparent bubbles filled with viscous liquid. After rupture of the membrane of such formations, wet pustules are formed at the site of the rash.
The described process is wavelike repeated for 10-14 days.
What should I do with the first signs of chicken pox?
For an adult, chicken pox is very dangerous for possible complications in the form of abscess, sepsis, pneumonia, encephalitis and other severe injuries of internal organs. Therefore, if there are characteristic symptoms of this disease, you should immediately call the doctor at home. Treatment should be carried out exclusively under the supervision of a specialist through the drugs prescribed by him.