Chicken Pox Symptoms

The characteristic symptom of chicken pox is a red itchy rash, usually starting on the stomach and back and spreading to the face, arms, legs.

Mild flu-like symptoms usually occur before the appearance of the chiken pox rash, and may cause fever, body aches, headache, nausea and loss of appetite. These symptoms are generally more pronounced in adults than they are in children.

A red itchy rash begins appearing shortly after the onset of chicken pox, typically beginning on the stomach and back and spreading to the face and arms and legs. The rash starts as small, itchy, red spots.  Fluid filled blisters (dew drop) develop over the area of redness. This ‘dew drop on a rose petal’ lesion is typical of chickenpox. 12–14 hours later the blister breaks down and crusts over within 1–4 days.

Chicken pox blisters are very contagious. The crust usually falls off within a week or two, sometimes leaving a crater-like scar. Another feature of chicken pox is the fact that new skin blisters appear every day for several days.

The number of blisters in a person with chicken pox varies. Though usually ranging in number from 100 to 300, older children and adults are prone to develop significantly more lesions. Cases of chickenpox caught from household members are usually more severe than those developed from community contact.

People with conditions like sunburn or eczema may also suffer a more severe symptoms from chicken pox. Besides affecting the skin, blisters may also appear in the eyes, mouth, and vagina.

Remember that it is important to contact your doctor if you are pregnant or have a weakend immune system and have been in contact with someone that has chicken pox, even if you don't have any symptoms.

Chicken Pox Complications

Although chicken pox is generally a mild disease with uneventful recovery, a small number of people may develop complications. Newborns, people with weak immune systems, and adults form a high-risk group. The most common complications are skin infections and pneumonia.

Other more serious complications include encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and hepatitis. Reye’s syndrome is a serious complication that may be induced by treatment with aspirin. Chicken pox may occasionally be problematic for pregnant women, causing stillbirths, birth defects, or infection of the newborn during childbirth.