Chickenpox

Introduction: Chickenpox

Chickenpox: Common viral infection. More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Chickenpox is available below.

Symptoms of Chickenpox

• Early symptoms - often preceding the rash symptoms
  • Aching
  • Tiredness
  • Headache
  • Fever

See full list of 19 symptoms of Chickenpox

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Chickenpox:

• Cold & Flu: Home Testing:
  • Home Fever Tests
  • Home Ear Infection Tests
  • Home Flu Tests

Medical Textbooks Online about Chickenpox

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Wrongly Diagnosed with Chickenpox?

• Misdiagnosis of Chickenpox
• Underlying causes of Chickenpox (possibly wrongly diagnosed)

Misdiagnosis and Chickenpox

Mild worm infections undiagnosed in children: Human worm infestations, esp. threadworm, can be overlooked in some cases, because it may cause only mild or even absent symptoms. Although the most common symptoms are anal itch (or ...read more »

Mesenteric adenitis misdiagnosed as appendicitis in children: Because appendicitis is one of the more feared conditions for a child with abdominal pain, it can be over-diagnosed (it...read more »

Blood pressure cuffs misdiagnose hypertension in children: One known misdiagnosis issue with hyperension, arises in relation to the simple equipment used to test blood pressure. The "cuff"...read more »

Children with migraine often misdiagnosed: A migraine often fails to be correctly diagnosed in pediatric patients. These patients are not the typical migraine sufferers, but migraines can also occur in children. See misdiagnosis of...read more »

Pruritus subjective symptom: Pruritus is one of the most important dermatological symptoms and is usually a symptom of primary skin disease. Since it is a subjective disease diagnostic difficulties arise especially when...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Chickenpox

Causes of Chickenpox

• Varicella-zoster virus

Read more about causes of Chickenpox

Read more about causes of Chickenpox.

More information about causes of Chickenpox:

• Medications, drugs, or substances causing Chickenpox (4 listings)
• Chickenpox as a symptom
• Medical news summaries relating to Causes of Chickenpox

Treatments for Chickenpox

• Anti-itch treatments
• Warm baths
• Calamine lotion
• Avoid scratching blisters
• Isolation to avoid contagion to others

See full list of 8 treatments for Chickenpox

Videos for Chickenpox

Patient Surveys for Chickenpox

• Patient Profile Survey
  Take Survey  View Results
• Survey about the symptoms of your Chickenpox
  Take Survey  View Results

Prognosis for Chickenpox

Prognosis for Chickenpox: While chickenpox is a mild disease for children, adults usually get much sicker. (Source: excerpt from Shots for Safety - Age Page - Health Information: NIA)

More about prognosis of Chickenpox

Reseach about Chickenpox

Visit our research pages for current research about Chickenpox treatments.

Clinical Trials for Chickenpox

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Chickenpox include:

• Use of a Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV) Vaccine to Prevent Shingles in HIV-Infected Children Who Have Already Had Chickenpox - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Famciclovir Oral Pediatric Formulation in Children 1-12 Years of Age With Varicella Zoster Infection - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - famciclovir
• A Study of the Safety and Effectiveness of Varivax (the Chicken Pox Vaccine) in Children Who Have Received Kidney Transplants - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• The Safety and Effectiveness of Valacyclovir HCl in the Treatment of Herpes Simplex or Varicella/Zoster Infections in HIV-1 Infected Children - This study has been terminated (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Valacyclovir hydrochloride
• A Study of BV-araU in the Treatment of Varicella-Zoster Viral Disease (VZV) in HIV-Infected Children Who Have Not Had Success With or Who Cannot Take Other Treatments for VZV - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Sorivudine

See full list of 34 Clinical Trials for Chickenpox

Prevention of Chickenpox

Prevention information for Chickenpox has been compiled from various data sources and may be inaccurate or incomplete. None of these methods guarantee prevention of Chickenpox.

• Varicella vaccination

Read more about prevention of Chickenpox

Statistics for Chickenpox

• Medical statistics for Chickenpox
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Chickenpox
• Death and Mortality statistics for Chickenpox
• Society statistics for Chickenpox

Types of Chickenpox

• Shingles

Read more about Types of Chickenpox

Stories from Users Related to Chickenpox

• Chickenpox
• Chickenpox
• possible activation of herpes zoster virus?

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User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Chickenpox, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Definitions of Chickenpox:

Highly contagious infectious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus (Herpesvirus 3); usually affects children, is spread by direct contact or respiratory route via droplet nuclei, and is characterized by the appearance on the skin and mucous membranes of successive crops of typical pruritic vesicular lesions that are easily broken and become scabbed; chickenpox is relatively benign in children, but may be complicated by pneumonia and encephalitis in adults. - (Source - Diseases Database)

An acute contagious disease caused by herpes varicella zoster virus; causes a rash of vesicles on the face and body - (Source - WordNet 2.1)