The risk of complications increases for people with a weak immune system, for newborns, for pregnant women and for adults.

If the infection is not treated properly, and the virus still remains in the body it can lead from an easy form of chicken pox to more complex infections like shingles. So, if the varicella virus is not completely removed from the patient's body the risk for the virus to travel to the ganglia and stay latent for a long period is high. After different amounts of time the virus travels back to the skin and causes shingles, more painful blisters.

The chances to develop shingles, after you had chicken pox are about 1 out of 5. That's why chicken pox should be taken seriously and treated in the same way because of the complications that may occur in the time of infection but after it too.

Many problems may be caused by chicken pox. One of its complications is a secondary bacterial infection of the chicken pox lesions. These secondary infections are superficial but can affect in any time the bloodstream causing bacteremia. The possible bacteria that can affect the blisters are staphylococcus aureus and streptococcus pyogenes and can lead to infections as impetigo, furunculosis, erysipelas or lymphadenitis. Secondary infections in the case of chicken pox are usually treated with antibiotics because otherwise if bacterimia is developed, the risk of pneumonia, meningitis or even heart disease increase considerably.

Neurologic problems can also appear because of chicken pox. One of the most severe complications that can result is called cerebellar ataxia, a cruel disease that involves problems with walking, progressive irritability, problems with speaking or eye problems. Another problem that may occur is called varicella meningoencephalitis. This chicken pox complication can be treated in less than three days. Its symptoms are delirium, headache and neck pain.

The third type of complications is respiratory problems. This is the main cause of death in chicken pox cases. A small percentage of patients with chicken pox develop varicella pneumonia, about 2 in a thousand, but the risk of developing this disease still exist and nobody is willing to take that chance, so treatments are followed exactly as prescribed. The causes for varicella pneumonia are old age chicken pox or a weak immune system. Pregnant women are also prone to develop this type of complications.

Another type of complications is liver problems. If medicine is not prescribed correctly problems with liver may appear. Aspirin is not recommended if high fever is lasting, especially for children. This treatment used to cause liver inflammation and even hepatitis.