Complications of Chickenpox
Chickenpox is normally a mild disease. But
it can be serious and can lead to complications or death, especially in
high-risk people. Complications include:
- Bacterial infections of the skin, soft tissues, bones, joints or bloodstream (sepsis)
- Dehydration
- Pneumonia
- Inflammation of the brain (encephalitis)
- Toxic shock syndrome
- Reye's syndrome for people who take aspirin during chickenpox
Other complications of chickenpox affect
pregnant women. Chickenpox early in pregnancy can result in a variety of
problems in a newborn, including low birth weight and birth defects, such as
limb abnormalities. A greater threat to a baby occurs when the mother develops
chickenpox in the week before birth or within a couple of days after giving
birth. Then it can cause a serious, life-threatening infection in a newborn.
Symptoms of Chickenpox
The incubation period (the time from
infection to symptoms) is about 14 to 21 days after contact with the virus.
Early symptoms
Sometimes other symptoms may start a day or
two before the rash appears.
These can include:
- Feeling tired and generally unwell
- High temperature (fever) of 38C (100.4F) or over
- Feeling sick
- Headache
- Aching, painful muscles
- Loss of appetite
Not everyone has these symptoms. They tend
to be more common and more severe in older children and adults with chickenpox.
Chickenpox rash
The chickenpox rash develops in three main
stages.
Spots
The rash starts off as small, raised red
spots.
The spots often first appear on the face or
trunk before spreading to other parts of the body.
There may just be a few spots or there may
be hundreds covering most of the body.
Sometimes spots can appear on the palms of
the hands, the soles of the feet, inside the ears or mouth, or around the
bottom or genitals.
Blisters
During the following hours or the next day,
the spots develop a fluid-filled blister on top.
The blisters may be very itchy, but it's
important not to scratch them.
Scratching could spread the infection to
others and increases the chances of complications such as a more serious skin
infection.
Scabs and crusts
Over the next few days, the fluid in the
blisters turns cloudy and the blisters begin to dry out and scab over.
New spots may keep appearing for a few days
after the rash begins, so there may be a mix of spots, blisters and scabs at
the same time.
Chickenpox is contagious until every
blister has scabbed over, which usually occurs by around five or six days after
the rash started.
