Chicken Pox multiple times?

[Stacyz76]

Anyone besides me? 10 days ago, I finished 5 days of IVSM. Yesterday, I broke out with chicken pox, verified today by my doctor.
This is the third time in my life that I have had them.

My neuro said it wasn't unheard of, especially after steroid treatment.

Its fairly mild but stinks just the same

I was wondering if the reoccurrance of chicken pox was more common amongst us MSers.

[ledybug]

Chicken Pox

I had them twice as a young child! It will be very interesting to see if other of us, MSers, have also had them multiple times...

[mysham]

I've heard of it reoccurring in people who have compromised immune symptoms, but I'm not sure it is MS related.

[Redwings]

I was wondering if the reoccurrance of chicken pox was more common amongst us MSers.

Hi Stacy:
Sorry to hear you have to deal with chicken pox along with other steroid side effects and and MS flare to boot!

Your question is interesting, for a couple of reasons.

First, reactivation of chicken pox (aka a breakthrough infection) happens, but it's rare. Usually the virus reactivates as shingles.

Second, it isn't usually MS itself that's associated with infections, because (contrary to what many people believe) the immune system in MS isn't weak, it's misdirected. It's usually the immune-modifying medications used to treat MS that are responsible for reactivation of infectious entities, such as tuberculosis, the herpes simplex virus and the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) that causes chicken pox and shingles.

But the VZV appears to be different. One study found that there was a very significant amount of viral particles identical to VZV in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in MS patients during a relapse and an absence of those viral particles in CSF during remission. The researchers interpreted that phenomenon to be evidence that the VZV plays a role in the pathogenesis of MS.

Based on that study, it seems possible that the increase in viral particles during MS flares could make people with MS more prone to shingles outbreaks and the rare occurrence of breakthrough episodes of chicken pox during exacerbations. This study doesn't address whether chicken pox/shingles are more common in people with MS during remission. Since the viral particles were found in this study to absent in CSF during remission, that seems to eliminate the conditions that would make outbreaks more common during remission, just based on MS alone.

I haven't done any research to look for evidence that associates actual shingles/chicken pox recurrences with relapses of MS. There probably are some articles in the medical literature that associate shingles/chicken pox recurrences with the steroids used to treat MS flares, as your neuro mentioned, since steroids are well-known to inhibit the body's ability to fight new and reactivated infections. But I can't cite any references that describe the infections being associated with MS flares themselves, particularly those not treated with steroids.

I also haven't done any research to see if the DMDs used for MS have been associated with a higher incidence of shingles/chicken pox recurrences in people with MS while in remission. Maybe someone else can come up with a reference or two for one or both of those kinds of studies.

[darlingdebbym]

Chicken pox twice at 1 year and at age 12.

[Alicious]

Utterly anecdotal: only once here, although I have had shingles unrelated to MS treatment (4 years before first flare). If anything, my immune system is too good--I almost never get sick, it's usually of short duration. Even my shingles took more than one doc to diagnose because they were the smallest, least complicated and least painful case the doctors had ever seen.

Redwings, thanks for the study data. That was really interesting!

[Stacyz76]

Thanks everyone!

Redwings, wow, thats something else. Thanks for that info!!

[newme]

Never had them.

My mother exposed me to everyone she knew who had them so I would get them as a child. Never did.

Had three children of my own who had them and watched many, many who developed them. Still never got them.

[danceifydance]

I have not been diagnosed with MS just yet....but I find it interesting that many of you have had the chicken pox more than once.

I too had them twice when I was a child.

[Red7172]

I had chicken pox 3 times when I was little.
I actually had 3 times in 2 years.

[MrsBones]

Had it twice.

ON & shingles

When I had my big ON attack in 2001 I also had "shingles" under my right breast on abdomen. Heat is very bad for shingles and its symptoms and heat cause them to hurt. People with MS are hurt by heat. Question: does that virus get in and eat the brain and nerves of MS sufferers? One theory I guess.

One man said his shingles were very mild and he has MS.....my shingles were mild also. I did have chicken pox as a kid. I had almost every childhood illness including whooping cough and strep throat so bad so many times I almost died from it and had black outs and lost almost all my weight. The shingles that happened during my ON attack....I don't know if they were real or not cause I got kicked out of doctors office after the admittance nurse saw my shingles. They took me out on the sidewalk in front of business and said: "Please go get medical help somewhere else". That's all part of the story of how I became homeless and almost blind from ON in 2001. I could see in a small hole very good and so nobody believed me that my vision was gone. And then all sorts of weird syptoms happened and I got sick a long time. I just got better more recently. \

Redwings writes really interesting and intelligent things on here. He is becoming my role model.

[poohb3ar]

my youngest DD had chicken pox 3 times before she finished 1st grade. i sure pray it's not MonSter! she has such a bright future at the Navy.

the firsttime she got them, DH brought them home from school (substitute teacher) both DDs got them, infant and 2 yr. old. it was miserable! i about went crazy taking care of all three! and to top it off my mom couldn't remember if i had had them!
i didn't get them then, pretty sure i never will. (hope that doesn't jinx me now )