Chickenpox medical therapy
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
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Overview
There is no definitive treatment for chicken pox, supportive treatment to minimize discomfort and pruritus. Anti-viral therapy with acyclovir and valcyclovir is beneficial if given within the first 24hrs of the appearance of the rash.
Medical Therapy
Symptomatic treatment
- Mild sodium bicarbonate baths, antihistamine medication to help ease itching.
- Acetaminophen to reduce fever
- Ibuprofen
- ASPIRIN MUST NOT BE GIVEN to children with chickenpox to avoid potentially fatal Reye's Syndrome. [1][2]
- Maintaining adequate hydration
- Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy is also considered in pregnant women, immunocompromised patients and newborns who are not vaccinated.
Anti-viral Therapy
- Anti-viral therapy with acyclovir and valcyclovir is beneficial if given within the first 24hrs of the appearance of the rash.[3][4][5]
- Antiviral medications are recommended for people with chickenpox who are more likely to develop serious disease including:
- People with chronic lung or skin disease such as eczema
- People receiving steroid therapy
- Acyclovir, an antiviral medication, is the drug of choice for the treatment of chickenpox. Other antiviral medications that may also work against chickenpox include valacyclovir and famciclovir. It is important to assess the renal function before proceeding with administration of anti-viral therapy for chickenpox.
- Preferred regimen: Acyclovir 20 mg per kg q6h for age groups of 2 to 12 years and adolescents (dose not to exceed 800 mg per day)[5]
- Alternate regimen: Valacyclovir 20 mg per kg q8h for 5 days (dose not to exceed 1000 mg per day)
Medications to avoid
References
- ↑ US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Varicella Treatment Questions & Answers". CDC Guidelines. CDC. Retrieved 2007-8-23. Check date values in:
|accessdate=(help) - ↑ Somekh E, Dalal I, Shohat T, Ginsberg GM, Romano O (2002). "The burden of uncomplicated cases of chickenpox in Israel". J. Infect. 45 (1): 54–7. PMID 12217733.
- ↑ "A Controlled Trial of Acyclovir for Chickenpox in Normal Children — NEJM".
- ↑ Wallace MR, Bowler WA, Murray NB, Brodine SK, Oldfield EC (1992). "Treatment of adult varicella with oral acyclovir. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial". Ann. Intern. Med. 117 (5): 358–63. PMID 1323943.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Kechagia IA, Kalantzi L, Dokoumetzidis A (2015). "Extrapolation of Valacyclovir Posology to Children Based on Pharmacokinetic Modeling". Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. 34 (12): 1342–8. doi:10.1097/INF.0000000000000910. PMID 26379165.