What do the results mean?
If you have symptoms and results show VZV antibodies or the virus itself, it's likely you have chickenpox or shingles. Your diagnosis of either chickenpox or shingles will depend on your age and specific symptoms. If your results show antibodies or the virus itself and you don't have symptoms, you either once had chickenpox or received the chickenpox vaccine.
If you are diagnosed with an infection and are in a high-risk group, your health care provider may prescribe antiviral medicines. Early treatment can prevent serious and painful complications.
Most healthy children and adults with chickenpox will recover from chickenpox within a week or two. Home treatment can help relieve symptoms. More serious cases may be treated with antiviral medicines. Shingles may also be treated with antiviral medicines as well as pain relievers.
If you have questions about your results or your child's results, talk to your health care provider.Learn more about laboratory tests, reference ranges, and understanding results.
