Risk of death from chickenpox in adults

Medical news on August 8: Risk of death from chickenpox in adults

Although chickenpox is considered a benign disease that usually occurs in children, there are many cases of adults with chickenpox being hospitalized in critical condition.

Dangerous complications of chickenpox in adults

According to a report from the Hanoi Department of Health, in the first 6 months of 2024, the city recorded 679 cases of chickenpox.

Also in the first 6 months of this year, many localities across the country have recorded complicated developments of chickenpox epidemics. For example, in Yen Bai province, a chickenpox epidemic was recorded with 69 cases, including one death.

According to medical experts, vaccination is an important measure to prevent infectious diseases. Photo: Chi Cuong

According to experts, chickenpox is a highly contagious disease, with an extremely fast transmission rate through the respiratory tract. The infection coefficient of chickenpox is 6, meaning that 1 person with chickenpox can infect 6-7 people in close contact around them.

In addition, a person who has never had chickenpox or been vaccinated against chickenpox before has a 90% chance of getting the disease when in direct contact with a chickenpox patient. Meanwhile, many people are still indifferent to the dangers of the disease.

These are the reasons why the number of chickenpox cases is increasing rapidly, even at risk of becoming an epidemic, with many cases having complications of pneumonia, respiratory failure, multiple organ failure and death.

Notably, experts say that although chickenpox is a disease that usually has a benign progression and patients can fully recover, however, chickenpox infection in infants, pregnant women, people with immunodeficiency, or those taking immunosuppressive drugs has a risk of severe progression and complications.

Also talking about chickenpox, Dr. Nguyen Quang Huy, Center for Tropical Diseases, Bach Mai Hospital said that many people are subjective when they think that adults do not get chickenpox.

If infected, it will heal on its own and leave no complications. However, in reality, when infected, the rate of complications and death is higher in adults - some studies on the treatment of chickenpox in adults, severe cases and deaths account for up to 10.4%, this is a very high rate for a disease with a vaccine.

The center has treated many adults with chickenpox, including a 32-year-old man who died from complications of pneumonia and liver failure.

Similarly, information from the Central Endocrinology Hospital also said that recently this medical facility has received many cases of chickenpox with underlying diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, adrenal insufficiency, etc.

Typically, patient VTO (in Nam Dinh) was transferred to the hospital with chickenpox, pneumonia; urinary tract infection; type 2 diabetes; hypertension; and dyslipidemia.

One week before being hospitalized, the patient had contact with two students with chickenpox, then had a high fever of 38-39 degrees Celsius with blisters in the mouth and throat and scattered all over the body, of different ages and sizes.

The patient took fever-reducing medicine on his own but it did not help. He also had a sore throat, a severe cough, a lot of coughing, yellow phlegm, headaches and body aches. On the patient's skin, there were many blisters that had burst, were inflamed, red, and had pus, accompanied by difficulty urinating, burning urination, etc.

Dr. Huy further explained that chickenpox symptoms in adults are similar to those in children, but will become more serious when complications arise. The disease progresses through initial symptoms 1-3 weeks after exposure to the virus, such as: Mild fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, body aches and headaches. These symptoms usually begin 1 or 2 days before the rash appears. In adults, the number of blisters ranges from 250 to 500.

In particular, pregnant women with chickenpox are at risk of pneumonia due to the varicella virus, with a risk of death of up to 40%. The mortality rate in pregnant women with chickenpox is the highest among adults infected with this disease. In addition, pregnant women with chickenpox can transmit the disease to the fetus through the placenta or after childbirth.

Children with chickenpox also have many serious complications, so experts warn people to vaccinate their children with the right dose and on schedule to protect them from serious complications caused by the disease.

Stage 5 kidney failure, almost lost his life due to treatment with traditional medicine

The Department of Nephrology, Duc Giang General Hospital has just successfully treated and saved the life of a male patient with stage 5 kidney failure, who almost lost his life due to treatment with herbal medicine.

According to information, patient HHQ (born in 1998, residing in Long Bien, Hanoi) was hospitalized in a state of extreme fatigue, lethargy, emaciation, inability to eat or drink, constant vomiting, and mouth ulcers.

Test results upon admission to the hospital were: Cretinin was 2018, 20 times higher than the highest value, urea index was 86.2, 12 times higher than the highest value of a normal person.

Through examination and paraclinical tests, patient Q. was diagnosed with uremia, stage 5 chronic kidney failure and was prescribed emergency dialysis treatment.

After intensive treatment, patient Q.'s kidney function has gradually returned to a stable state, his health has improved, however, the patient is still thin and exhausted and needs to be monitored and his physical condition improved.

After being discharged from the hospital, the patient was scheduled for periodic dialysis to maintain life after nearly 10 days of intensive treatment.

Through medical history, the patient's family shared that in 2019, the patient discovered that when urinating, the urine had a different smell than normal. After going to the doctor, stage 2 kidney failure was discovered. The doctor instructed the patient to take medication at home and return for follow-up visits as scheduled to preserve kidney function and prevent the disease from progressing.

However, in the past six months, because his family told him about some traditional medicine doctors, the patient stopped taking Western medicine and stopped going for regular check-ups.

According to the patient's family, after the first time using herbal medicine, the patient went to the doctor and the index was still normal, believing that the disease could be cured. The patient's family continued to dispense medicine for the patient to take, but the patient began to have an unusually white tongue, mouth pain and ulcers that made it impossible to swallow.

Thinking that the medicine was not suitable, the family continued to take medicine at 3 different places, but the patient's condition did not improve but continued to worsen, the urea and creatinine index increased rapidly until the patient's condition was exhausted and lifeless, then the family took the patient to Duc Giang General Hospital for emergency treatment.

Dr. Nguyen Van Tuyen, Head of the Department of Nephrology at Duc Giang General Hospital, said that in just the past year, the department has received and treated many cases of severe kidney failure and acute kidney injury on the basis of chronic kidney disease related to taking herbal medicine.

Symptoms of kidney failure in the early stages are often non-specific, so patients can easily ignore them. Therefore, many cases of kidney failure are not detected early and treated according to the correct regimen, leading to late treatment, many dangerous complications, and even death.

There is currently no scientific research that clearly shows the effectiveness of herbal medicine in treating kidney failure. Especially in people with chronic kidney disease, whose kidney function is already poor, the use of herbal medicine active ingredients, even in daily diet, must be done carefully to avoid worsening kidney failure, Dr. Tuyen added.

Warning of severe poisoning and death from eating insects

Information from Gia Lai Provincial General Hospital said that patient Dinh Sep, 27 years old, residing in An Thanh commune, Dak Po district, died of poisoning.

According to information from the victim’s family, on the afternoon of August 6, Mr. Sep ate 10 caterpillars. About 30 minutes after eating, he had a stomachache and vomited.

That same afternoon, his family took him to Dak Po District Medical Center for examination, then he was transferred to the Emergency Department, Gia Lai Provincial General Hospital.

Through examination and testing, doctors here determined that Mr. Sep suffered from severe poisoning leading to kidney and liver failure, with a high risk of death. The patient was transferred to the Intensive Care and Anti-Poison Department, but did not survive.

Previously, in Son La province, a 72-year-old patient who ate Ban Mieu worms was also poisoned and was hospitalized in critical condition with symptoms of shock, convulsions, respiratory failure, vomiting blood, mouth ulcers and died 2 days later.

The caterpillar has other names such as ban mao, ban manh, worm bean, nguyen thanh,... and has the scientific name Lytta vesicatoria Fabr, belonging to the family Ban Mieu - Meloidae.

The Ban Mao caterpillar is a type of bug that resembles a stink bug and is often used topically to treat boils, ulcers, and blisters. However, it is also highly toxic and can lead to Ban Mao caterpillar poisoning if used incorrectly.

According to traditional medicine, the caterpillar is hot, spicy, toxic, and affects the large intestine, small intestine, stomach, liver, and kidney meridians.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/tin-moi-y-te-ngay-88-nguy-co-tu-vong-khi-mac-thuy-dau-o-nguoi-lon-d221884.html