Treatments for Shingles in Children

Chicken pox is typically considered to be a childhood illness, while shingles are most commonly associated with adults. However, when a mother-to-be gets chicken pox within a certain period during her pregnancy, her baby can be infected with the disease and can develop shingles during childhood. A child's symptoms may differ from an adult's symptoms, but children still need treatment to help keep them comfortable during the painful course of shingles.

Definition

• Shingles is an infection that is triggered by the same virus (varicella zoster) that causes chicken pox. It tends to affect one side of the body, unlike chicken pox blisters, which are usually spread out over the afflicted person's whole body.

Cause

• Shingles typically occurs at some point after a person has had chicken pox. After the blisters have healed and the chicken pox has run its course, the virus remains dormant in nerve cells near the spinal cord. It can remain inactive for years, or even decades. At some point, it can become active again and cause a new infection. It works its way down the nerve fibers to the skin, but instead of chicken pox, it causes the characteristic painful rash of shingles.

Time Frame

• Although shingles is most common in those who are over age 60, it can happen at any age. About 2.5 cases in 1000 happen to people between 20 and 50. If a baby is born to a woman who came down with chicken pox up to 21 days before giving birth, he can develop shingles early in life. Often these babies are born with a case of chicken pox or come down with it in a few days. One-third of them will also develop shingles by age 5.

Symptoms

• When a child is getting ready to have a shingles outbreak, his symptoms usually differ from those of adults. While adults may feel flu-like symptoms, youngsters are often symptom free until they break out in a rash. There will be crops of blisters that appear on a red base, and new blisters will continue to appear for a week to 10 days. Eventually they will form a crust and fall off on their own. Typically there won't be any noticeable scarring. Children with shingles are contagious, but those who are exposed will develop chicken pox rather than shingles.

Treatment

• Children who come down with shingles can be treated symptomatically. According to eMedTV, they should be bathed daily to help prevent development of secondary infections. Their fingernails should be trimmed to control excessive scratching. Because shingles are painful, cool compresses or washcloths soaked in cool water can be used to soothe the pain. Distractions may help get the child's mind off the physical effects. Let her watch television, play video games, read, color or do some other engaging activity that takes concentration.

  If the pain is bothering the child, you can administer acetaminophen to ease it. You can relieve the itching with antihistamines.