Side Effects of Chicken Pox in Older Adults

Although chicken pox is a common and mostly nuisance ailment in children, it is rare and more serious in adults. Although a vaccine has been commonly available for more than a decade, adults who are not vaccinated and come in contact with the illness are at grave risk for complications, according to eMedTV.com.

The Facts

• Chicken pox is an infectious disease that is part of the herpes family. A vaccine introduced in 1995 has greatly curbed the number of cases of chicken pox, reports eMedTV.com, but the virus is still transmitted through direct contact---kissing, touching hands, sharing a cup---with an infected person or airborne contact, such as from sneezes and coughs.

Onset

• Chicken pox incubation takes 14 to 16 days from the time the sufferer comes in contact with an infected person. In the first two days of the incubation period, you may mistake the chicken pox for cold or flu, as its onset includes one or two days of fever, fatigue and chills. Fever and chills diminish as your body begins to experience the blister outbreak by day 3 or 4.

Identification

• Chicken pox manifests as painful, itching, burning blisters appearing throughout the body, face and scalp, averaging 250 to 500 blisters that scab over with a crust, reports eMedTV.com. The blisters are incredibly itchy and may appear in three separate outbreaks over the course of the illness. Due to their swollen size, blisters may be painful, especially on sensitive areas of the body such as the neck and less fleshy parts like ankles and elbows.

Physical Effects

• According to eMedTV.com, adults who get chicken pox are far more likely to be hospitalized or die from the illness. One of two bacterial infections related to the disease---Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes---can cause pneumonia, bone and joint infections, toxic shock syndrome or encephalitis. In these cases, antibiotics are prescribed.

Shingles

• Once chicken pox has run its course, it remains dormant in your system. The illness can re-activate and turn into shingles, a painful blister-ridden rash, says MedlinePlus.com. It is unknown why shingles appears in some adults---at-risk groups include adults over the age of 60 who experienced chicken pox before the age of 1. Because it is very painful, shingles patients are often prescribed prescription pain medications to relieve the swollen blisters and itchy rash.

Treatment and Prevention

• Calamine lotion and oatmeal baths can calm the physical effects of the blisters. Antihistamines may relieve itching, and pain relievers help if the blisters are swollen or broken. Unvaccinated adults can reduce their risk by frequently washing their hands, using anti-bacterial laundering products and avoiding people who show signs of the disease.