[Complications of chickenpox as reason for children's hospitalization].

Chickenpox is self limiting disease, with potentially dangerous course. Chickenpox complications can evoke the necessity of hospitalization. Assess the types and courses of chickenpox complications in child patients hospitalized in Provincial Hospital of Infectious Diseases in Bydogoszcz between 1999 and 2003. Cases of chickenpox complications being the reason of children hospitalization were retrospectively analyzed. The total number of children hospitalized because of chickenpox complication is 153. Patients age ranged from 18 days to 18 years, with average of 5,4 years. 62% of children were younger than 5 and, 1/3 children were younger than 1. The average period of hospitalization was 7 days. 17% of patients stayed in hospital longer than 10 days. 53% of patients were male. In 5 cases chronic diseases were diagnosed. The most common reason of hospitalization connected with chickenpox were symptoms of alimentary canal disorder (30%), respiratory tract inflammations, with pneumonia and bronchitis in the lead (30/47). Neurological complications during chickenpox occurred in 23 of 153 hospitalized (15%): febrile convulsions - 6/153, cerebellar ataxia - 9/153, meningitis and brain fever - 6/153, peripheral nerve - 2/153. Bacterial skin infection as the reason of hospitalization of 16 children, hepatitis of 3 and joints inflammation of 1 child.