What Is Shingles?
Introduction
Shingles is a viral infection with or without a painful rash
that can occur anywhere on your body, most often in a single stripe that wraps
itself on either the left or right side of your torso. It is caused by the varicella-zoster virus,
the same virus that causes chickenpox.
After you’ve had and recovered from chickenpox, the virus remains
inactive in the nerve tissues near the spinal cord and brain. Many years later, it can reactivate as
shingles. While it is not
life-threatening, it may be painful; however, vaccines may lessen the risk of
shingles and early treatment may shorten the shingles infection and it’s
complications.
Symptoms
The following symptoms can affect a part of one side of the
body:
·
Pain, burning, numbness, or tingling.
·
Sensitivity to touch.
·
Red rash that begins a few days after pain.
·
Fluid-filled clusters that break open and crust
over.
·
Itching.
May also occur in some people:
·
Fever.
·
Headache.
·
Sensitivity to light.
·
Fatigue.
Pain is usually the first symptom, but it can be
intense. Depending on the location of
your body, it is sometimes mistaken for other symptoms that may affect the
heart, lungs, or kidneys. Some people
can experience shingles pain without developing a rash. The shingles rash develops as a stripe of
blisters around the left or right side of the torso. It can also occur around one eye or side of
neck or face.
When to See a Doctor
See your physician if you experience any of the following
symptoms:
·
Pain or rash near one eye. If left untreated, it may lead to permanent eye
damage.
·
50 or older adults. Age increases the risk of complications.
·
You or a family member with a weakened immune
system like cancer, medications, or chronic illnesses.
·
Rash that is painful.
Causes
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus the same
virus that causes chickenpox. Anyone who
has had chickenpox may get shingles.
When you’ve recovered from chickenpox, the virus lies dormant for
several years. Later, it can or may
reactivate and travel through the nerve pathways to the skin which causes you
to develop shingles. The reason is
unclear, but it may be due to a lowered
immunity to infections as we grow older.
The varicella-zoster virus, which
belongs to the group of herpes virus that includes the virus that causes cold
sores and genital herpes. While known as
herpes zoster, the virus that causes both chickenpox and shingles is not the
same as the virus that causes cold sores or genital herpes, a sexually
transmitted infection.
Are You Contagious?
Anyone with the shingles virus can pass the varicella-zoster
virus to anyone who has not had chickenpox or had the vaccine. It occurs from direct contact with the open
sores of the shingles rash. When the
person is infected, the person develops chickenpox, not shingles.
Chickenpox can be dangerous among some groups of
people. Until the shingles blisters scab
over, the infected person should avoid contact with the following people:
·
Anyone with a weakened immune system.
·
Newborns.
·
Pregnant women.
Risk Factors
Anyone who has had the chickenpox virus can or may develop
shingles. Many adults in the U.S. have
had chickenpox as a child, before the routine childhood vaccination that
protects against chickenpox. The
following can increase the risk of developing shingles:
·
Adults 50 and older: more common among this age group and may
increase with age. Some experts estimate
that over half of the people over the age of 80 may develop shingles.
·
Certain diseases, like HIV/AIDS and cancer may
increase the risk of shingles.
·
Undergoing cancer treatments like radiation and
chemotherapy may lower the resistance to diseases that trigger shingles.
·
Certain medications like anti-rejection drugs
that are prescribed to prevent rejection to transplanted organs may also
increase the risk of shingles; as well as the prolonged use of steroids like
prednisone.
Complications
Many complications may occur from shingles like:
·
Postherpetic neuralgia: some people may suffer from shingles pain
long after the blisters have occurred – as this occurs when damaged nerve
fibers often send confusing and exaggerated messages of pain from the skin to
the brain.
·
Vision loss:
shingles near one eye (ophthalmic shingles) may cause painful eye
infections and may result in vision loss.
·
Neurological problems: depending on the nerves affected, shingles
may cause inflammation in the brain (encephalitis), facial paralysis, hearing,
or balance problems.
·
Skin infections:
if shingles blisters are not treated properly, bacterial skin infections
may develop.
Preparing for Your
Appointment
Some people who experience mild symptoms may not seek
medical attention, while others with extreme painful symptoms may find
themselves in the emergency room.
What You Can Do:
·
Make out a detailed description of your
symptoms.
·
Have information of your medical problems (past
and present).
·
Also have information of your family’s (i.e.
parents and siblings) present and past medical problem available.
·
Any medication, vitamins, dietary supplements
that you are taking.
Preparing this list for your physician may help your
physician. List your questions according
to the most important to the least important in case you have a shortened visit
with your physician. The following are
some important questions to include:
·
What’s the most likely cause of my symptoms?
·
How long will I have symptoms?
·
What caused me to develop shingles? Can I get them again?
·
What treatment do you recommend? How quickly will I start to feel better?
·
What if my symptoms don’t improve?
·
Are there any brochures or other material that I
can take home with me? What websites do
you recommend?
Don’t hesitate to ask questions that may occur during your
appointment.
What to expect from your doctor:
Your physician will examine your rash and ask the following
questions:
·
When did your symptoms begin?
·
Does anything make them better or worse?
·
Do you know if you’ve ever had the chickenpox?
Test and Diagnosis
A diagnosed history and pain on one side of the body along
with signs of a rash and blisters your doctor will examine. Your doctor may also scrape some tissue for a
sample or culture of your blisters to examination to a laboratory.
Treatment and Drugs
While there is no cure for shingles, there is prompt
treatment with prescription antiviral drugs.
These drugs can speed healing and reduce the risk of complications. The following medications include:
·
Acyclovir (Zovirax).
·
Valacyclovir (Valtrex).
·
Famciclovir (Famvir).
For those who experience severe pain, your doctor may also
prescribe:
·
Capasaicin cream.
·
Anticonvulsants like gabafentin (Neurontin).
·
Tricyclin antidepressants like amtriptytine.
·
Numbing agents like lidocaine that is delivered
via a cream, gel, spray, or skin patch.
·
Medications that contain narcotics like codeine.
·
Injections like corticosteroids or local
anesthetics.
Shingles usually last from 2 to 6 weeks. While most people only get shingles once in
their lifetime, some may get shingles twice or even a third time.
Lifestyle and Home
Remedies
A cool bath or cool, wet compresses on the blisters may help
relieve any itching or pain experienced.
If it is possible, try to lessen any stress in your life.
Prevention
There are two vaccines that may prevent shingles: Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine and the
shingles (varicella-zoster) vaccine.
Chickenpox Vaccine
A routine childhood immunization may prevent chickenpox and
may be recommended for adults who have never had chickenpox; but it doesn’t
guarantee you won’t get chickenpox or shingles – but it may reduce any
complications or severity of the disease.
Shingles Vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use
of the varicella-zoster vaccine (Zostavax) for adults who are 50 years of age
or older. Like the chickenpox vaccine,
it also doesn’t’ guarantee you won’t get shingles – but it could possibly
reduce the course and severity of the disease and your risk of postherpetic
neuralgia. These vaccines are used only
as a prevention method and not for treating those who currently have shingles. The vaccine contains a live virus and should not
be given to people with a weakened immune system.
Conclusion
Shingles is a virus caused by the same virus that causes the
chickenpox virus and there are methods in place to prevent or lessen the course
and severity of the disease.
Reference
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