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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
The signs and symptoms of chickenpox are:
- A red, itchy rash, initially resembling insect bites, on your face, scalp, chest and back
- Small, liquid-filled blisters that break open and crust over
- Fever
- Abdominal pain or loss of appetite
- Mild headache
- General feeling of unease and discomfort (malaise) or irritability
- A dry cough
- Headache
The chickenpox rash goes through these three phases:
- Raised pink or red bumps (papules), which break out in different spots over several days
- Fluid-filled blisters (vesicles), forming from the raised bumps over about one day before breaking and leaking
- Crusts and scabs, which cover the broken blisters and take several more days to heal
New bumps continue to appear for several days. As a result, you may have all three stages of the rash — bumps, blisters, and scabbed lesions — at the same time on the second day of the rash. Once infected, you can spread the virus for up to 48 hours before the rash appears, and you remain contagious until all spots crust over.
The disease is generally mild in healthy children. In severe cases, the rash can spread to cover the entire body, and lesions may form in the throat, eyes and mucous membranes of the urethra, anus and vagina. New spots continue to appear for several days.
When to see a doctor
If you suspect that you or your child has chickenpox, consult your doctor. He or she usually can easily diagnose chickenpox by examining the rash and by noting the presence of accompanying symptoms. Your doctor can also prescribe medications to lessen the severity of chickenpox and treat complications, if necessary. Be sure to call ahead for an appointment, to avoid waiting and possibly infecting others in a crowded waiting room.
Also, be sure to let your doctor know if any of these complications occur:
- The rash spreads to one or both eyes.
- The rash gets very red, warm or tender, indicating a possible secondary bacterial skin infection.
- The rash is accompanied by dizziness, disorientation, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, tremors, loss of muscle coordination, worsening cough, vomiting, stiff neck or a fever higher than 103 F (39.4 C).
- Anyone in the household is immune deficient or younger than 6 months old.
- Harriman KH, et al. CDC Traveler's Health: Yellow book. Varicella (chickenpox). http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2010/chapter-2/varicella.aspx. Accessed July 20, 2010.
- Albrecht MA. Clinical features of varicella-zoster virus infection: Chickenpox. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 20, 2010.
- Albrecht MA. Prevention of varicella-zoster virus infection: Chickenpox. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 20, 2010.
- Whitley RJ. Varicella-zoster virus. In: Mandell GL, et al. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 76th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00137-5--s0040&displayedEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00137-5--s0045&uniq=210636258&isbn=978-0-443-06839-3&sid=1027882434#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00137-5%3Bfrom%3Dtoc%3Btype%3DbookPage%3Bisbn%3D978-0-443-06839-3. Accessed July 20, 2010.
- Albrecht MA. Treatment of varicella-zoster virus infection: Chickenpox. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 20, 2010.
- Burnell PA. Varicella (chickenpox, shingles). In: Goldman L, et al., eds. Goldman: Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/210636258-4/1027901179/1492/1333.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2805-5..50403-1_16674. Accessed July 20, 2010.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, et al. Recommended Immunization Schedules for Persons Aged 0-18 Years — United States, 2010. MMWR. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/child/2010/10_0-18yrs_11x17fold-booklet-pr.pdf. Accessed July 20, 2010.
- Chickenpox. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. https://merck.com/mmpe/sec14/ch189/ch189b.html. Accessed July 20, 2010.
- Herpes zoster vaccine Q&A (shingles). http://198.246.98.21/vaccines/vpd-vac/shingles/vac-faqs.htm. Accessed July 20, 2010.
- Varicella. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2010. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..00031-7--s29000&uniq=210636258&isbn=978-0-323-05610-6&sid=1027914876#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..00031-7--s29000%3Bfrom%3Dtoc%3Btype%3DbookPage%3Bisbn%3D978-0-323-05610-6. Accessed July 20, 2010.
- Hoecker JL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. July 27, 2010.
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