Signs of shingles in children

The article was professionally consulted with - Specialist I, Resident Doctor Dang Thi Ngoan - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.

Shingles is a disease caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox called Varicella. If not detected in time and properly treated, the disease can cause many dangerous complications in children.

After a child has chickenpox, the Varicella zoster virus does not disappear completely but still exists in the child's body, they reside in the sensory nerves in a dormant state. When children are stressed, tired, immunocompromised or undergoing radiation treatment, the virus can reactivate and cause shingles (also known as shingles or shingles).
Shingles usually lasts 2-4 weeks and is highly contagious. It can be passed from someone who has shingles to someone who has never had chickenpox before, who will develop chickenpox instead of shingles. And once you have had chickenpox, you will be at risk of shingles many times in your life.

Symptoms of shingles in children vary widely, depending on which nerves are affected.

Skin feels tight, burning, itchy, aching, or stinging. After 1-3 days, pink blisters appear in clusters at the painful skin sites. These blisters usually appear only on one side of the body such as the back, chest or half of the face, very rarely on both sides. These blisters grow to large, pus-filled blisters that break open and scab over in 10-12 days. After 2-3 weeks, the scabs will dry out, fall off and leave a scar. During shingles, children will have systemic symptoms such as fever, headache, itching, pain, and fatigue.

Common sites of shingles on children's face are: ears, eyes, mouth.
Zona nerve in the ear: From the painful area of ​​​​the ear, gradually appear blisters scattered on the ear flap, the door of the ear canal. Severe pain in the ear, burning sensation, and discomfort spreading along the outer ear canal, the skin in front of the ear and behind the ear. Not only affects hearing function, sometimes pain from the ear spreads to the mouth, throat and tongue, making it difficult for the patient to eat and drink. Oral shingles: Small oval or round blisters, scattered or in bands running along the upper or lower lip border, causing itching and burning pain in the lips. Not only causes many inconveniences in daily life, but also greatly affects the aesthetics of the face. Shingles in children's eyes: The blisters appear scattered or in bands around the eyes, eyelids, forehead, and nose of children. These blisters may appear at the same time or several weeks after the blister disappears. Some children only have eye symptoms with pain and discomfort without blisters on the whole body. Children have a feeling of eyestrain, burning or stinging eye pain, blurred vision, when the disease is severe, the eyes may be paralyzed, necrosis of the conjunctiva, cornea, and permanent blindness.

Shingles is a rare disease in children, many cases of skin infections in children are mistaken for shingles. However, because of the dangerous complications of the disease, especially on the eyes, parents should not be subjective. When suspecting that a child is showing signs of shingles, parents need to quickly take the child to a medical facility for treatment.
Antiviral drugs indicated in the treatment of shingles will work well when used early. Painkillers paracetamol or ibuprofen will help children reduce pain, anti-inflammatory. In addition, some topical drugs can be used to reduce itching, relieve local pain, and speed up the healing process of the skin. During the time a child has shingles, parents should increase nutrition, a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables to increase the child's resistance, keep the hygiene clean, and give the child plenty of rest to recover quickly. When you have shingles, try to avoid close contact with anyone, this is especially important during the infectious phase, when you have blisters on your skin. Absolutely do not scratch strongly to cause the wound to spread to other locations. Patients should keep and avoid scratching at the site of the rash. Wash your hands after touching the rash. The chickenpox vaccine is one of the ways to prevent shingles. Vaccination can reduce the risk of shingles by more than 50% and can reduce the rate of long-term nerve damage by more than 66%.