Chickenpox
- Chickenpox Overview
- Chickenpox Causes
- Chickenpox Symptoms
- When to Seek Medical Care
- Exams and Tests
- Chickenpox Treatment
- Self-Care at Home
- Medical Treatment
- Next Steps
- Prevention
- Outlook
- Synonyms and Keywords
- Authors and Editors
Chickenpox Overview
Chickenpox, also known as varicella, is a highly contagious and self-limited infection that most commonly affects children between 5-10 years of age. The disease has a worldwide distribution and is reported throughout the year in regions of temperate climate. The peak incident is generally during the months of March through May. Lifelong immunity for chickenpox generally follows the disease. If the patient's immune system does not totally clear the body of the virus, it may retreat to skin sensory nerve cell bodies where it is protected from the patient's immune system. The disease shingles (also known as "zoster") represents release of these viruses down the length of the skin nerve fiber and produces a characteristic painful rash. Shingles is most commonly a disease of adults.
Next: Chickenpox Causes »
| Printer-Friendly Format | | | Email to a Friend |
Women's Health
Find out what women really need.
From WebMD
Featured Centers
- 12 Ways to Prevent the Spread of Viruses
- 10 Surprising Benefits of Treating Depression
- Healthy Home: To Buy or Not to Buy Organic?
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
Chickenpox
Shingles Overview
Shingles (also termed herpes zoster) is a disease caused by reactivation of the herpes zoster virus (varicella-zoster virus, or VZV) that results in a painful localized skin rash, usually with blisters (fluid filled sacks) on top of the reddish skin. This same virus causes the childhood illness chickenpox. The chickenpox virus (varicella) remains in a dormant state in the body in the root of nerves that control sensation. In about one out of five people, the virus "wakes up," often many years after the chickenpox infection. The virus then travels along a sensory nerve into the skin and causes shingles. The majority of patients who get shingles are over the age of 60; it infrequently occurs in younger people. Investigators estimate that about 1 million cases of shingles occur per year in the U.S.
- The term shingles is derived from the Latin and French words for belt or girdle, reflecting the distribution of the rash in a br...
Read What Your Physician is Reading on eMedicine
Varicella »
Varicella, commonly known in the United States as chickenpox, is caused by the varicella-zoster virus.
Featured Topics
Explore 80+ Centers
- Allergy
- Allergy Medications
- Anaphylaxis
- Antidepressants
- Anxiety
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Baby's Health
- Back, Neck, Head Injury
- Bioterrorism, Warfare
- Blood, Lymphatic System
- Bone, Joint, Muscle
- Brain, Nervous System
- Breathing Difficulties
- Burns
- Camping
- Cancer, Tumors
- Children's Health
- Cholesterol
- Cold and Flu
- CPR, Choking
- Cuts, Scrapes, Bruises
- Dementia
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Diabetic Coma, Insulin Shock
- Digestive System
- Dislocations
- Drowning
- Drug Overdose
- Ear, Nose, Throat
- Emotional Wellness
- Endocrine System
- Environmental Injuries
- Erectile Dysfunction
- Exercise, Nutrition
- Eye, Vision
- Fainting
- Fever
- First Aid, Emergency
- First Aid Kits
- Food Poisoning
- Foreign Bodies
- Fractures, Broken Bones
- Glaucoma
- Headache
- Health, Medical
- Heartburn, GERD, Reflux
- Heart, Blood Vessels
- Heart Attack
- Hepatitis
- Immune System
- Incontinence
- Infections
- Kidneys, Urinary System
- Lung, Airway
- Medications
- Men's Health
- Mental Health, Behavior
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Nosebleeds
- Osteoporosis
- Outdoor Living
- Overexposure
- Poisoning
- Procedures
- Psoriasis
- Public Health
- Scuba Diving, Swimming
- Seizures
- Senior Health
- Shock
- Skin, Hair, Nails
- Sleep Disorders
- Social, Family Health
- Sports Injury
- Sprains, Strains
- Statins
- STDs
- Substance Abuse
- Teen Health
- Teeth, Mouth, Oral Health
- Weight Management
- Wilderness Emergencies
- Women's Health
- Wounds
