SHINGLES! Shingles is a condition that is caused by the Varicella-Zoster Virus, which is also the causal agent for chickenpox. Unfortunately, one out of three people who had chickenpox as a child are at a high risk for getting shingles. I have been told that it is extremely painful and the sores are very hard to control. We have developed our new Ameo Soothing Cream to help relieve the pain and heal the skin irritations and blisters.
The United States reports that nearly 1 million cases of shingles occur annually. It is believed that 1 in 3 Americans go on to develop this condition at least once in their lifetime. Shingles, which is also known as herpes zoster, is a medical condition characterized by the development of painful blisters on the skin usually caused by the ‘Varicella-zoster Virus’ (VZV). This virus is responsible for causing chickenpox in humans.
When a person suffers from chickenpox during childhood, the VZV remains in the body for the rest of their life, even after the individual has fully recovered from it. The virus lies in a dormant form, until it gets reactivated. When it does, one is affected by shingles, and not chickenpox. For this reason, herpes zoster is also referred to as the revisiting chickenpox disease. The virus is likely to get reactivated if the person is under constant stress, or has a compromised immune system. While most of the symptoms of this condition are flu-like, there are some characteristic symptoms which help in the diagnosis of this condition.
Symptoms The symptoms arise when the virus travels up the nerve roots that supply sensation to the skin on one side of the body, thereby causing inflammation. The main symptom is the development of small painful blisters on the individual’s skin, lined up like a strip or band, along the path of the nerve branch, or the area of skin supplied by those specific nerve roots. It is this distinctive symptom that usually helps the doctors to diagnose this condition. These blisters break and form small sores, which begin to dry and eventually form crusts. Later, the scabs crust in 2 to 3 weeks.
A few other symptoms include: a tingling sensation; fever and chills; sensitivity; itching; joint pain; malaise; headaches; swollen glands (lymph nodes). It is extremely painful, with pain radiating along a single spinal nerve.
Complications that might arise if medical help is delayed:
The recommended treatment involves the use of antiviral drugs for alleviating the symptoms and speeding up the recovery process. Timely medical assistance is also required to lower the risk of a complication called neuralgia, which develops when herpes zoster reaches the advanced stage. In order to avoid this, one has to be watchful and consult a physician the moment the symptoms are suspected. You should also seek a physician’s help if you continue to experience pain even after the rash has disappeared. If ignored, the condition can further worsen and lead to ‘postherpetic neuralgia’ – a condition characterized by unbearable pain.
If not treated in time, it can lead to severe health problems such as: loss of eyesight; pneumonia; organ malfunctioning; hearing problems; encephalitis (which is inflammation of the brain due to a virus).
Many people wonder if shingles is contagious?
The VZV virus that causes chickenpox and herpes zoster can spread when a healthy person comes in direct contact with the open wounds/rashes/blisters of an individual suffering from this disease. When the virus spreads to a person who has never had chickenpox in his entire life, it would cause chickenpox and not herpes zoster. Shingles affects only those who have had chickenpox earlier. It occurs when the dormant virus gets reactivated. The risk of transmission is high during when the patient develops blisters that have clear fluid, but has yet to develop crusts. The virus can be transmitted until the blisters have dried and formed crusts and is higher in people with a weak immune system, small children, or pregnant women, when compared to healthy individuals. However, it would be best to avoid any contact with an individual who is affected by this disease.
The virus can get reactivated if an individual is in his old age, above 50 years; a person who is suffering from a disease that weakens the immune system such as AIDS and cancer; and a person who is taking immunosuppressive drugs. The risk of transmission is high when blisters develop, but the crusts are yet to form. Therefore, it is better to cover these blisters during this phase and avoid exposure to sunlight. Stay in a cool and dry room and avoid scratching the area that is affected by rash.
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