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Chickenpox in Pregnancy

Chickenpox

• disease usually caused by primary infection with Varicella-Zoster virus

Typical Patient

• child

Symptoms / Signs

• coryza

• fever

• rash 24-48 hours later,

  • progression over hours

    1. papular

    2. vesicular

    3. pustular

  • distribution

    • face

    • scalp

    • trunk

    • less on extremities

Variants

Pathology

Investigations

Treatments

• none needed in normal individuals

• Immunoglobulin

  •  in immunosuppressed

  • in pregnant women

• acyclovir

  • in immunocompromised

  • over 16s within 72 hours

Prognosis

• once lesions are dry patient is non-infectious

Complications

• encephalitis
  • 1:1000 cases
• secondary bacterial infection
• pneumonia
  • 1-6 days after skin eruption
  • more common in adults, cigarette smokers
• shingles - recurrence

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