Abstract:
- Chickenpox is a common childhood viral infectious disease.
- In healthy people, it is usually a mild, self-limiting illness, characterised by low grade fever, malaise, and a generalised, itchy, vesicular rash. Major illness can lead to significant morbidity and mortality, especially in vulnerable groups like immunocompromised individuals and adults.
- While vaccination and antiviral drugs provide preventive and curative measures, homoeopathy offers a personalized approach to managing chickenpox.
- Guided by the principle of “like cures like” homoeopathic remedies are tailored to the patient’s physical, mental, and emotional state, aiming for complete symptomatic relief, overall well-being, & prevention of recurrence; offering a comprehensive treatment option for patients.
- This article aims to provide an integrative framework for chickenpox healing, emphasizing both classical homoeopathy and modern perspectives.
Keywords: Chickenpox, Homoeopathy, Remedies, Varicella Zoster, Viral Infections, Fever With Rash, Childhood Disease, Infectious Disease
Introduction:
- Chickenpox is a common childhood exanthematous illness, caused by Varicella-zoster virus (VZV), a DNA virus of the herpes virus family.
- Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) causes primary, latent, and reactivation infections.
- The primary infection is manifested as varicella (chickenpox) and results in establishment of a lifelong latent infection of sensory ganglionic neurons. Reactivation of the latent infection causes herpes zoster (shingles).
- Though generally considered as a benign infection, this can cause severe illness especially in newborns, immunocompromised children and elderly patients.
- The disease is highly contagious with secondary attack rates of 80% among household contacts.
Epidemiology:
- The epidemiology of varicella differs between temperate and tropical climates.
- Most of the children are affected at 5-10 years of age.
- Varicella epidemics occur mostly in the months of December to February.
- Within household contacts, transmission rate is 65–86%; more casual contacts such as occurring in a classroom are associated with lower attack rates among susceptible children.
Etiopathogenesis:
- The virus is present in respiratory secretions and the skin lesions of an affected child and is transmitted either by air-borne spread or through direct contact.
- The portal of entry is the respiratory tract.
- During the incubation period of 10-21 days, the virus replicates in the respiratory mucosa followed by viraemic dissemination to skin and various organs.
- During the latter part of the incubation period, the virus is transported to the respiratory mucosa and leads to infectivity even prior to the appearance of the rash.
Clinical Features:
- The prodromal period starts as mild fever, headache, generalized body ache and tiredness.
- Fever is usually moderate ranging from 38°C to 39°C.
- After 2–3 days, the rash appears, initially as maculopapular which evolves into vesicles filled with clear fluid which becomes cloudy and umbilicated, described as ‘dew drops on rose petals’
- The rash is intensely pruritic and distribution is typically central or centripetal.
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- Lesions also occur in the oral mucosa, pharynx, conjunctiva and genitalia.
- The new lesions appear for 1–7 days. While the initial lesions are crusting, new crops form on the trunk and then extremities.
- The lesions vary in number, from 10 to 1500 and leave behind hypo or hyper pigmented marks that persist for days to weeks.
- Scarring is unusual unless the lesions are secondarily infected or scabs are removed prematurely.
Effects:
- Some of the effects of the chicken-pox are laryngitis or slight bronchitis, pox on conjunctiva, acute nephritis, arthritis, etc., though the complications are generally rare in children.
Diagnosis:
- Diagnosis is clinical.
- History of exposure to the disease is helpful in reaching the diagnosis.
- Laboratory abnormalities include leukopenia in the initial 72 hours, followed by relative lymphocytosis.
- VZV IgG antibodies can be detected by several methods and a fourfold increase in lgG antibodies is also confirmatory of acute infections.
- Chickenpox should be differentiated from other exanthemata such as herpes simplex, enteroviral infections, insect bites and drug reactions.
Management:
- Management is symptomatic and includes antipyretics, antipruritic agents and good hygiene.
- Acyclovir is the drug of choice; 20 mg/kg/dose, 4 times a day for 5 days is used to treat uncomplicated varicella.
- Children with varicella should not receive salicylates due to increased risk of Reye syndrome.
Prevention:
- Varicella is a vaccine preventable disease.
- For primary immunization, the first dose should be given at the age of 15 months and second dose at the age of 5–6 years.
- As this disease is very contagious, exposure of infants and children to the disease should be avoided.
- The adults in the house suffering from chicken pox should be isolated even in the early eruptive stage until every scab has separated which takes 2-3 weeks.
Diet:
- Diet should preferably be liquid or semisolid but the intake of salt should be reduced to avoid excessive itching.
- Cold things should preferably be avoided as they suppress the eruptions.
- At the commencement, toast, water, rice gruel, barley water and tea can be given.
- Milk is the best diet for infants and nurseries.
- Rich nutritious diet should be given after the disease.
Supplementary Treatment: (4)
- The children suffering from chicken pox should be confined to bed during the eruptive period.
- They should not be exposed to cold, especially during cold weather but room should be ventilated.
- In order to avoid scars, children should be prevented from scratching the eruptions.
- In case of intense itching and burning, olive oil may be applied or alternatively white sandalwood paste should be applied externally on the eruptions.
- Dr. Clarke recommends application of camphor oil to the pocks.
- Juice of raw bitter guard (karela) should be taken daily for some time to get good relief.
- Children should have clean bed clothes and underwear.
- No attempt should be made to suppress the eruptions by strong medicines or any external ointment to relieve the itching.
Role of Homoeopathy In Managing The Chicken-Pox: (5) (6) (7)
- Homoeopathy plays a main role in preventing and treating symptoms of chickenpox.
- Generally, those children who are psoric or of tubercular constitution are prone to the eruptive fevers.
- While the constitutional make-up of children has been dealt with elsewhere, it is evident from the overall picture of the eruptive fevers that these arise from a definite miasmatic flow.
- Hence, till a child is studied in regards to be susceptible and be vulnerable to such fevers.
- Following rubric concerning chicken-pox is given in Dr. Phatak ‘s Repertory which may be found to be useful:
Homoeopathic Remedies For Chickenpox:
- Aconite: Initial febrile stage, when skin is hot and child is restless, anxious and thirsty. High fever with rapid, hard and full pulse. The hands are hot and feet cold.
- Ant. Crud: Fever with nausea, vomiting and thickly white coated tongue. The child is extremely irritable and fretful and cannot bear to be touched or looked at. Useful in cases of cough and bronchitis remains after chicken- pox. When the eruption attacks the fauces, the palate and the corners of the mouth, this remedy is helpful.
- Ant. Tart: When the fever is attended with convulsions or the pustular eruptions are very large & blue in colour. The child is drowsy, weak and sweaty and has a coated, pasty tongue.
- Belladonna: A skin rash with a bright red, dry, hot, burning, smooth and sensitive skin. High fever, rapid pulse, Drowsiness with inability to sleep and a severe headache are present in most of the cases
- Ledum pal: Red spots and rash, Eruptions only on the covered parts. Crusty eruptions around the nose and mouth. Patient always chilly, coldness of the body yet aversion to external warmth.
- Pulsatilla: Child who is often mild and tearful when ill and wants lot of attention and comforting. And thirstless during fever. Itching and discomforts improved in open fresh air.
- Rhus tox: For children with extreme restlessness with continued change of position; great apprehension at night so that the child cannot remains in bed; bitter taste in mouth; coated tongue except red triangular space at the tip; pain and stiffness in the limbs and great inclination to stretch the limbs. Helpful in complications like pustular inflammation of the eyes take place.
- Sulphur: When there is intense itching and burning in the eruptions and the child has great tendency to scratch. Least washing aggravates the itching and burning. Frequent flushes of heat and the skin is dry, hot and burning. Great redness of lips and around the anus. Strong anti-psoric remedy, useful when carefully selected remedies fail to act.
- Mercurius: “If vesicles suppurate” discharge purulent matter – with great weakness & easy sweating
- Variolinum: Nosode indicated in complaints of rashes with pustules. It can also be indicated as a preventive or protection against chickenpox. The forehead is very hot, the face is red and deep, dark purple hue over the neck. intense sickness of the stomach, fever with chills with a bad smell of sweat.
Conclusion:
- Remedies chosen based on the individual’s overall condition and specific symptoms, help support the body’s natural healing process and alleviate discomfort associated with chickenpox.
- In combination with preventive measures like vaccination, homoeopathy can serve as a complementary therapeutic option for managing varicella, especially in cases where conventional treatments may have limitations.
References
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Author
Dr. Yashasvee Modi
MD Scholar (Part-2), Department of Paediatrics, C.D. Pachchigar College of Homoeopathic Medicine and Hospital, Surat, Gujarat, India