Shingles
in Children: A Rare but Painful Reoccurrence of Chickenpox
Whether
you get it in childhood or adulthood, chickenpox can make
you sick both internally and externally. Along with a horrible,
blistering rash, chickenpox also comes with fever, stomachache,
headache, sore throat, and other miserable symptoms. The
worst news is, after you heal from the chickenpox, this
virus may come back for another round. This second eruption
of chickenpox is called shingles, and while shingles is
much more common in older adults, shingles in children is
possible, too.
According
to most studies, shingles in children accounts for about
5 percent of all shingles cases. Anyone who has had chickenpox
is at risk for shingles, but shingles is most often diagnosed
in people who are 50 and older. It is believed that shingles
strikes people who have weaker immune systems, which would
explain why the risk for shingles increases as people age.
Shingles in children with weaker immune systems is also
more common than shingles in children with strong immune
systems. Another risk factor for shingles in children is
if a child had chickenpox before the age of 1, or if the
child’s mother had chickenpox while she was pregnant.
Shingles
in children and adults is caused when the chickenpox virus
lies dormant inside a person’s nervous system, often
in the spinal cord. For reasons not completely understood,
the virus reactivates into herpes zoster, the scientific
name for the shingles virus. Shingles in children typically
occurs after the child is more than 3 years old.
Shingles
in children and adults causes a painful rash that follows
the path of the infected nerves. The rash occurs on one
side of the body, often on the chest, back, or abdomen.
The rash from shingles in children begins as clusters of
red bumps. Similar to chickenpox, shingles bumps turn into
water blisters and then dry crusts. While it is claimed
that shingles in children may be less painful than shingles
in adults, the pain of shingles has been described as intense
and unrelenting. Shingles in children is not accompanied
by fever, nausea, or any other chickenpox symptoms.
New
rashes caused by shingles in children may materialize for
several days. Most or all the rash should dry up within
10 days. One major complication for shingles in children
and adults is when it affects the eyes or nose, which requires
immediate medical treatment. Otherwise, shingles in children
can be treated with pain medication, excluding aspirin.
Children
should stay home from school until the rash crusts over
and also should avoid scratching or touching the shingles
rash. Shingles in children is not contagious, but if a child
has shingles, he or she may be able to transmit chickenpox
to others. Unfortunately, the chickenpox vaccine has not
been shown to prevent shingles in children.
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