Chickenpox and Shingles, Know the Difference!

Has been reviewed and approve by dr. Yuri Widia, Sp. DVE (K)

Chickenpox, surely many people already know about it. Moreover, this disease is considered a mandatory disease, where everyone will definitely get this disease once. Some people get it when they are children, but many people only get chickenpox when they are adults.

However, have you ever heard of shingles? This disease is not as well known as chickenpox, but it turns out it has similarities and differences. The following is a more complete explanation of both.

Causes of Chickenpox and Shingles

Chickenpox and shingles have the same cause, namely the result of a viral infection varicella-zoster or viruses herpes zoster. Usually experienced by children under 10 years of age. However, it can also occur in adults. Usually chickenpox that occurs when you are an adult will have more severe symptoms.

This disease has a very high transmission rate, especially in people who have never had chickenpox before. Transmission of this virus occurs in 2 ways, namely due to exposure to the patient's saliva when coughing, talking or sneezing, and from blister fluid on the patient's skin.

Shingles is also caused by a viral infection varicella-zoster and is a continuation of chicken pox. When someone has chicken pox, the virus can survive and stay in the nerves without causing any symptoms. However, when there is a trigger, this virus will reactivate and cause other symptoms, namely shingles.

Some of the trigger factors are:

• Decreased body immunity.

• Unmanaged stress.

• Didn't get the vaccine.

Shingles can only be experienced by someone who has had chickenpox before. However, viral infections from people with shingles can still spread to other people who have never had chickenpox, only that person will later get chickenpox, not shingles. Apart from that, not everyone who has had chickenpox will definitely get shingles too.

Symptoms of Chickenpox and Shingles

The symptoms that appear in sufferers of chickenpox and shingles are basically not much different, such as fever, headache and loss of appetite. However, the symptoms that appear on the skin are different between the two. 

Chicken pox

With chicken pox, blisters will appear that are itchy and filled with water on various areas of the body, such as the hands, feet, thighs, back and other areas which will spread. These blisters will dry out on their own in about 1 week and peel off by themselves.

In shingles, reddish, water-filled pimples also appear on the skin. These nodules not only feel itchy, but also feel sore and take longer to disappear. In fact, it can take 3 to 5 weeks. Apart from that, these reddish pimples will only appear in certain areas and do not spread to all areas of the body.

Treatment for Chickenpox and Shingles

Chickenpox is usually not treated specifically because it will heal by itself. Usually doctors only prescribe medication to help reduce the discomfort caused by this disease, such as treating itching or fever due to chickenpox. Except, patients with special conditions, such as pregnant women or autoimmune sufferers, may receive intensive treatment to treat this disease.

In shingles, treatment is also carried out to reduce symptoms and the risk of complications. To treat this disease, the doctor will give antiviral drugs and other medicines according to the patient's condition.

Chickenpox and Shingles Vaccine

Chickenpox and shingles have the same type of virus as the cause, so the vaccine used is also the same, namely the varicella vaccine. However, currently there is also a special shingles vaccine available which has different contents from chicken pox and is generally used for adults. For those of you who have had chickenpox and are worried about getting shingles, it would be a good idea to get this vaccine. The varicella vaccine should also be given to people who have had shingles, because the possibility of this disease coming back is quite high.

If you are interested in getting the varicella vaccine or are currently experiencing symptoms of chickenpox or shingles, it would be a good idea to consult skin and venereal specialist Of Premier Hospital Surabaya. The sooner you get the right treatment, the sooner your disease will be resolved and the possibility of complications will be smaller.

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