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Signs & Symptoms of Chicken Pox in Kids

According to the Mayo Clinic's website, prior to availability of the now common chicken pox vaccine, 4 million U.S. children caught the disease yearly. Despite a dramatic drop in incidences of chicken pox, and related hospitalizations, the signs and symptoms remain the same. The most common clue is the familiar skin rash and blisters that appear alongside other flu-like symptoms.

  1. Skin Abnormalities

    • The most common symptom of chicken pox is a skin rash. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) website, children, on average, develop 250 to 500 "small, itchy, fluid-filled blisters over red spots on the skin." UMMC's website notes that blisters first appear on the face, trunk and scalp. Scalp blisters often solidify a chicken pox diagnosis. Within 24 to 48 hours, the blisters, which appear in cycles, produce a scab. UMMC's website points out that children with skin problems, such as eczema, may develop more than 1,500 chicken pox.

    Other Symptoms

    • UMMC's website reports that other, flu-like chicken pox symptoms tend to appear a day or two prior to the rash. They last about two to four days after the breakout. These symptoms include fever, abdominal pain or loss of appetite, malaise, irritability, minor headache and a dry cough, according to the Mayo Clinic website. These signs can precede and accompany the chicken pox rash. The Mayo Clinic website explains that in most children, these symptoms--and the disease, in general--are mild.

    Complications

    • In rare cases, chicken pox can become a serious problem. The Mayo Clinic website urges caution when chicken pox strike newborns and infants whose mothers never received the chicken pox vaccine, pregnant women, individuals with weak immune systems, persons taking steroid medications and individuals with eczema. Chicken pox can lead to a bacterial infection of the skin, pneumonia and, quite rarely, inflammation of the brain. The Massachusetts General Hospital for Children website notes that scratching and picking chicken pox blisters and scabs can cause them to open, paving the way for bacterial infections. The Mayo Clinic website also warns that if you have had chicken pox, the disease can resurface later in life as shingles.

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