Contents:
- Medical Video: Shingles
- What is shingles?
- What are the signs and symptoms of shingles?
- What is the medicine for shingles?
- When do I have to see a doctor?
- How to prevent shingles?
Medical Video: Shingles
What is shingles?
Shingles is a rash on painful skin, caused by the varicella zoster virus. Shingles is also often called snake pox or chicken pox, and usually appears on the skin in the form of a line or a small area on one side of the face or body.
Shingles is common in adults and people who have a weakened immune system due to stress, injury, use of certain drugs, or other reasons. Most people who have herpes zoster will recover and will not be attacked again. But it is very possible to get herpes zoster more than once.
Shingles occurs when a virus that causes smallpox develops again in your body. After you recover from smallpox, the virus will "fall asleep" (become inactive) at your nerve roots. In some people, the virus will remain active forever. In some other people, the virus will again "wake up" when illness, stress, or aging weaken the immune system. Some drugs can trigger the virus to reactivate and cause a shingles rash. It is not clear why this happened. But after the virus becomes active again for the second time or the umpteenth time, the virus can only cause shingles, not smallpox.
What are the signs and symptoms of shingles?
Symptoms and characteristics of shingles are:
- A straight rash follows the nerve grooves
- The rash occurs only on one side of the body
- The rash begins with a red lump, turns into a slightly runny swelling, and eventually becomes a dry crust (looks like a small swarm of chicken pox).
- The spine, chest, and abdomen are the areas most often attacked
- Rashes usually do not heat or itch in children (different from in adults)
- No fever or feeling sick
- Occurs in people who have had chickenpox
What is the medicine for shingles?
If herpes zoster attacks children, it is very possible not to show any symptoms. To deal with pain, use acetaminophen or ibuprofen as needed. Avoid aspirin use in children because it can increase the risk of Reye's syndrome. The rash does not need to be smeared with any cream.
People who are attacked by zoster can transmit chickenpox (but not zoster) to others. Transmission occurs by touching the zoster rash. Although transmission of herpes zoster is not as easy as chickenpox, people, especially children with zoster, must rest at home for 7 days unless they can keep the rash closed, including covering the crust. Children or adults who have never been exposed to chickenpox should avoid visits or visit zoster children (unless the rash is covered).
When do I have to see a doctor?
Contact a doctor if:
- The rash is very painful or very itchy
- The rash is near the eyes
- The rash does not disappear in 14 days
- You feel your condition is getting worse
How to prevent shingles?
Like the smallpox vaccine, the herpes zoster vaccine will not guarantee you will not get shingles. But this vaccine can reduce the possibility of transmission, and if you continue to get shingles later, the condition will not be too severe. This vaccine can also reduce the risk of postherpetic neuralgia.
The herpes zoster vaccine is only used as a prevention strategy, but the vaccine is not intended to treat people who currently have the disease. This vaccine contains live viruses and should not be given to people who already have a weak immune system.
