Table of contents:
- Causes of chicken pox and shingles
- Shingles comes from chicken pox
- The difference between the transmission of chickenpox and shingles
- Differences in the characteristics of chicken pox and shingles
- The difference between chickenpox and smallpox from the initial symptoms
- Which is more dangerous?
Red or bouncy spots that feel itchy on the skin are the main symptom of chickenpox. However, an itchy boil is also the main symptom of shingles or shingles. The two are indeed different diseases, but they are related. So, how do you distinguish these two diseases? See in more detail the discussion about the differences between chickenpox and shingles.
Causes of chicken pox and shingles
Both chickenpox and shingles are caused by infection with the herpes virus, varicella-zoster. Because the virus causes the same, the main symptoms are almost the same. On your skin, a skin rash will appear in the form of reddish spots all over your body. This red spot causes a very strong itching sensation.
Usually this red spot will turn into a small elastic filled with fluid. Over time the elastic will dry to form a scab, and if you keep scratching it, it will leave a scar on the surface of your skin.
Shingles comes from chicken pox
Although shingles and chickenpox are caused by the same virus, the difference in the appearance of the two diseases is that shingles is experienced by people who have had chickenpox. The first time you are infected with the varicella-zoster virus, you will develop chickenpox.
After recovering from chickenpox, this virus remains in the body, but is not actively reproducing (dormant). This virus is precisely hiding in the nerve cells. Shingles occurs when there is reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, which was dormant in the body.
The reason why the varicella-zoster virus becomes active again is not yet known with certainty. However, one research in The Science Journal of the Lander College obtained a link with reactivation of the virus with a weakened immune system. Severe stress conditions can even trigger reactivation.
Therefore, people with a disease that attacks the immune system such as HIV or cancer who has previously been infected with chickenpox are at high risk for reactivation.
This second varicella-zoster virus infection is called shingles or shingles. The attack of this disease can occur within a few years. Therefore, if you had chickenpox as a child, you are at risk of developing shingles as an adult.
The difference between the transmission of chickenpox and shingles
Chicken pox is a highly contagious skin disease. Transmission can occur through the air or through droplets released when an infected person coughs or sneezes. You can also catch smallpox by coming into contact with a person who is suffering from chickenpox.
The difference between chickenpox and shingles is that shingles is not contagious like chickenpox. However, when people around you get shingles, the varicella-zoster virus is still possible to spread.
If you were not previously infected with chickenpox and you are close to someone who has shingles, you will not get shingles, but you still have the risk of catching the varicella-zoster virus and getting chickenpox.
Differences in the characteristics of chicken pox and shingles
Even though both of them have the main symptom forms which are both disturbing, it turns out that there are other characteristics that can be the difference between chicken pox and shingles.
If the rash is in the form of red spots on the symptoms of chickenpox, it will turn into a rubbery shape which causes itching, whereas in the elastic shingles it not only causes itching but also a burning sensation.
The rash on chickenpox usually turns to dry quickly. The healing time is only around 1 week marked by the chickenpox scab that peels off or leaves chicken pox scars that are difficult to disappear.
While shingles takes longer, the rash will dry out and go away on its own in 3-5 weeks.
The difference between chickenpox and shingles is also shown through the spread of skin rashes on the body. Chickenpox rash initially found in the middle of the body such as the face and front of the body.
In shingles, the rash tends to spread over one side of the body with a more concentrated cluster of spots in one area. However, gradually the rash can appear on the face and scalp.
The difference between chickenpox and smallpox from the initial symptoms
The characteristics that most differentiate between shingles and chickenpox are the initial symptoms of both diseases. Before the appearance of the red spots, both types of smallpox were caused by infection varicella-zoster will indicate certain health problems.
Within 1-2 days before the appearance of the rash, chickenpox will show initial symptoms, such as:
- Fever
- Headache
- Loss of appetite
- Joint and muscle pain
- Fatigue and feeling unwell
Fever usually lasts 3 to 5 days, but the increase in body temperature generally does not exceed 39 ℃. In addition to health problems as above, sufferers can also experience coughs and sneezes.
Two to four days before the rash appears, shingles shows symptoms such as itching and a sharp pain in the skin. The pain you feel comes from the nervous system in the skin. In general, these are the initial symptoms experienced by people with shingles:
- Fever
- Headache
- Itching skin
- Pain in the skin
- The body shivered
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Pain in the stomach
Which is more dangerous?
Based on the difference in the severity of the disease, in general, the symptoms of chickenpox are less severe than the symptoms of shingles.
From the time of healing of both diseases, the symptoms of chickenpox can also subside in a shorter time than shingles. Moreover, chicken pox in children usually has a much faster healing period than the chicken pox experienced by adults.
Compared to chicken pox, shingles can cause more severe symptoms and last for a long time, i.e. months. In this condition, shingles will be increasingly difficult to cure.
According to the National Foundation for Infectious Disease, it is not uncommon for the pain that appears to cause a burning sensation on the skin. Pain can still appear even after the rash has disappeared. Pain disorders in the nervous system of the skin that occur after the healing of shingles are called post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN).
To overcome this disorder, it requires shingles drugs such as anti-convulsants, namely carbamazepine, pregabalin or gabapetine.
PHN is more common in elderly people who have reactivated the varicella-zoster virus. From this it can be concluded that the older the patient is, the two skin diseases are equally at risk of causing more serious health problems.
Chickenpox does heal faster, but the symptoms can be very disruptive to activities. Therefore, consult your doctor to get the right chickenpox treatment.
