Chickenpox is an acute viral disease,which is transmitted by airborne droplets. About 90% of all infected are children under the age of 14 years. Nevertheless, chickenpox is also common among adults who suffer the disease much more severely.
The manifestation of chickenpox
The virus, penetrating the respiratory tract of a person, moves through the lymph nodes, and then enters the blood.
The duration of the incubation period of the diseaseranges from 11 to 23 days. The first sign of the appearance of the disease is a rise 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 a few hours are transformed into bubbles. After 1-3 days, the bubbles burst and dry, gradually forming a dense crust. If the crust is not subjected to injury, then after it falls away, there will be no scars.
Forms of the disease
There are several typical forms of chicken pox:
- Easy The person feels satisfactory.Temperature indicators can be in the normal range or reach 38 degrees (it all depends on the individual characteristics of the organism). The rash is not abundant, it is mainly present on the mucous membranes in the form of single elements. Duration of rash - 2-4 days.
- Medium heavy. Provided by a slight intoxication, increasedtemperature, profuse rash, which is accompanied by itching. The duration of the rash is from 4 to 5 days. As the crust forms, the patient's condition improves.
- Heavy There are abundant rashes on the skin.cover, mucous membranes of the mouth, eyes, genitals. There is an increase in body temperature, there is an emetic urge, decreased appetite, insomnia develops, there is a very strong itch. The duration of the rash is from 7 to 9 days.
The following forms of atypical forms of the disease include:
- Rudimentary. Most often occurs in newborns. There are single papules with barely emerging bubbles. The child feels normal, the temperature rises are not observed.
- Generalized. Accompanied by manifestations of fever, there is severe intoxication, there is a copious rash on the skin and mucous membranes.
- Hemorrhagic. In addition to rashes on the skin, there are bleeding from the nose, vomiting of blood, possible hemorrhages in the internal organs.
The occurrence of chickenpox in pregnant women
Do women who are waiting for a baby have chickenpox? Yes.Unfortunately, even pregnant women are not insured against chickenpox. It can even be said that women who are carrying a baby are more likely to be infected than others. Since the work of the immune system is aimed at protecting not only women, but also the fetus, it quickly weakens.
The occurrence of the disease occurs in contact with a person who has chicken pox 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 increase;
- the appearance of a rash on the skin and mucous membranes;
- there is a deterioration in overall well-being;
- decreased appetite;
- the woman gets tired quickly;
- there are painful sensations in the muscles and joints.
With a severe form of the disease in a pregnant woman, pneumonia can even occur.
Is chickenpox dangerous for pregnant women?
Special Hazard for a Pregnant Womanthe disease carries in the early stages of carrying a baby, that is, in the first trimester. During this period, only the formation of the fetus begins, so infection with chickenpox can lead to intrauterine infection, and, as a result, miscarriage or abnormalities in the child’s development. Quite often there were situations when a woman who had had chickenpox during pregnancy gave birth to a child with disabilities in the functioning of the central nervous system, organs of vision, as well as with underdeveloped arms and legs.
To identify such violations in the development of the child.possible only after an ultrasound in the second trimester. If during the inspection will be detected deformities of severe form, incompatible with life, then the woman immediately required to offer to terminate the pregnancy.
Chickenpox in the second trimester of pregnancy
If pregnant got sick with chickenpox on the 2ndtrimester of pregnancy, she may not be worried, since the placenta is forming by the beginning of the trimester, 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 women in severe form.
Chicken pox in the third trimester of pregnancy
Is chickenpox dangerous for third women?trimester of pregnancy? Yes. The disease that occurs in the late stages of carrying a baby is just as dangerous as it was in the early stages. But the danger is present only if the infection occurred at 36 weeks and later.
The danger is that for the period beforethe woman’s body simply does not have time to form immunity to the disease, so there is a very high probability of infecting the baby during the passage through the birth canal or in the first days of life. In such situations, the baby is the formation of congenital chickenpox, which is very difficult, and given the lack of immune protection, it can even cause death. The occurrence of deaths is also triggered 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 the infectionwomen occurred 4 days before the labor, then out of 100 babies from 10 to 20 get intrauterine chickenpox. At the same time, 2-3 of them can be born dead. If the first rash occurred 5 days before the scheduled 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, passive immunization is prescribed. In this case, you can reduce the probability of death by 40%.
Contact pregnant with sick chickenpox
The only way to avoid infection.chickenpox during pregnancy is avoiding contact with the carrier of the virus. With this, of course, there are difficulties, because throughout the entire incubation period, an infected person may not even guess that he is sick. Therefore, women who are carrying a baby are advised to minimize contact with other people's children, avoid crowded places and, if possible, wear a mask everywhere.
If, nevertheless, the pregnant woman was in contact withpatients with chickenpox, you should immediately consult a doctor in order to undergo prophylactic treatment. To do this, the attending physician injects serum with antibodies that prevent the development of the virus. In some cases, the serum may not help, and then infection with chickenpox occurs, but it proceeds in a milder form.
And you can contact pregnant women with chickenpoxthose who have not 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.
Chicken Pox Therapy During Pregnancy
При контакте беременной с зараженным человеком и after the appearance of the first rash, the woman should immediately visit her gynecologist. After analyzing the situation and examining the duration of pregnancy, the doctor prescribes treatment. If the disease is mild and not complicated by additional infections, then no specific therapy will be required. It is enough to process all the bubbles with green paint, and to relieve the itch, use calamine lotion.
Даже если присутствует очень сильный зуд и The presented tool does not help, you need to make every effort not to comb the bubbles, otherwise open wounds will form in their place. And such a manifestation immediately provokes the occurrence of secondary infections.
If the infection fell on the term of pregnancy,longer than 20 weeks, immunoglobulin injections are prescribed to the woman. Similar injections are prescribed in the case of symptoms of chickenpox immediately before the labor.
In case of severe diseaseThe doctor may prescribe "Acyclovir", which not only inhibits the virus, but also eliminates all the unpleasant symptoms inherent in the disease. The disease in this situation passes much faster. But It is worth noting that the effect of taking the drug will occur only if it is used on the first day after the onset of the symptoms of chickenpox. It should be noted that if the infection occurred in the period after the 20th week of pregnancy, the use of "Acyclovir" is strictly prohibited, since it can cause significant harm to the fetus.
Recurrent chickenpox disease
Contrary to popular belief that a personalready ill with chickenpox, can not get infected again, it is possible and re-infection. Such cases are especially widespread among pregnant women.
Именно поэтому, даже если беременная переболела chicken pox in childhood, she needs to pass all tests 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 it is recommended not to become pregnant for 3 months. But after such actions, the chickenpox for a pregnant woman who had been ill with her as a child would definitely not be terrible!
Chickenpox Disease Prevention
Women who are planning to become pregnant are advised, even before conceiving a baby, to carry out a number of preventive procedures to prevent the development of chicken pox:
- need to maintain immunity with healthy and nutritional;
- should detect in advance the presence of antibodies to the virus;
- in the absence of antibodies to the disease, vaccination is recommended;
- if a woman or her partner has chickenpox, you need to be protected during intercourse;
- with a weakened immunity should be limited to visiting crowded places.
Preserving child's health
In order to preserve the life and health of the fetus, a pregnant woman must know the following rules:
- infection with chickenpox during gestation is not a reason for abortion;
- if you have chickenpox in the early stages of pregnancy, you should be examined to exclude or identify fetal abnormalities;
- if a woman has contracted chickenpox a few weeks before labor, the doctors try to prolong the period of carrying the baby;
- as a preventive measure, newborns who were born from infected mothers are given a vaccine to produce antibodies to the virus;
- breastfeeding can begin only after the acute period of the disease.
If you follow all the prescribed instructions, then infection with chickenpox in the process of carrying a child can avoid or minimize its consequences.
