Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List
| | A | | | B | | | C | | | D | | | E | | | F | | | G | | | H | | | I | | | J | | | K | | | L | | | M | |
| | N | | | O | | | P | | | Q | | | R | | | S | | | T | | | U | | | V | | | W | | | X | | | Y | |
Complications of Chickenpox
Complications of chickenpox are rare in children.
Occasionally, some adults with chickenpox go on to get pneumonia. This is quite rare and affects about 1 in 100 adults. Very rarely, an adult with chickenpox develops brain inflammation (swelling) called encephalitis.
You are more susceptible to catching infections such as chickenpox if you have a lowered immune system, because your body is less able to make antibodies to fight it off. Having a weakened immune system also means serious complications such as those mentioned above are more likely to develop. People with a weakened immune system include those with cancer, HIV, or AIDS, or people having steroid or chemotherapy treatment.
Your risk is increased if you haven’t had chickenpox as a child and have no natural immunity to the virus. If your immune system is weakened and you come into contact with someone who has active chickenpox or shingles, you should tell you GP.
Chickenpox and pregnancy:
If you catch chickenpox while you’re pregnant, there is a slightly higher risk that you’ll develop pneumonia.
Catching chickenpox when pregnant can also be dangerous to the unborn baby. If you catch it within the first 20 weeks of pregnancy there’s about a 1 in 50 chance of the baby having an abnormality. This could be brain damage, birth defects involving the arms and legs, digestive or genito-urinary problems, eye infections, scarring of the skin, or poor growth. There is also a small chance of the mother miscarrying. The risk is highest if you have chickenpox between the 13th and 20th week.
If you have chickenpox after the 20th week of pregnancy, there doesn’t seem to be any risk of abnormality to the baby. However, if you have chickenpox within seven days before or after giving birth, your newborn baby may develop a serious type of chickenpox. Babies who catch chickenpox within a few days of birth have around a 20% risk of dying from the infection.
See your GP urgently if you think you have chickenpox when you are pregnant, or within seven days of giving birth. It can be treated with antiviral medication, but this needs to be started within 24 hours of the rash appearing. Treatment with antiviral medication is usually advised if you are more than 20 weeks pregnant. It doesn’t cure the illness, but makes it less severe.
It’s important to see your GP is your baby has chickenpox. Newborn babies at risk of severe chickenpox can also be given antiserum (serum containing antibodies).
