Table of Content
- What is Shingles
- Shingles Symptoms
- Shingles Causes
- Shingles Risk Factor
- Shingles Complication
- Is Herpes Zoster (Shingles) Contagious
- Can You Get Herpes Zoster More Than Once
- Shingles (Herpes Zoster) Vaccine
- Shingles Diagnosis
- Shingles Treatment
- Medication to Treat Herpes Zoster Pain
What Is Shingles?
Commonly called Herpes zoster is actually two blows of infections. Anyone who gets this infection often had a case of chickenpox many years earlier.
These two conditions originating from the same virus, called varicella-zoster.
Chickenpox causes itchy blisters that may start on your back, chest, and face
and gradually spread to the rest of your body. Shingle is a rash with shooting pain.
It usually shows up on a single side of your body.
The rash turns into red, fluid-filled blisters. They usually dry out within 7 to 10 days.
Shingles Symptoms
The early signs of shingles include:
- Fever, chills, and headache.
- Itching.
- Elevated dots on your skin and redness in that area.
- Stabbing or shooting pain.
- Tingling in or under your skin.
- Upset stomach.
Get medical help quickly if you have any of these signs. There’s presently no cure for shingles. Treatment is symptomatic and aims to lessen the chance of complications, including pain that lasts after the rash is gone. This is called postherpetic neuralgia.
Shingles Causes
When the varicella-zoster virus gets into your body, the first disease it causes is chickenpox. You may think of it as a childhood disease, but it can infect adults too.
After chickenpox episode is over, the virus moves into the nerve tissues near your spinal cord and brain, where it stays.
It is not known exactly why, but sometimes the virus “wakes up” and travels along nerve fibers to your skin. That’s when it delivers its second punch: shingles also called herpes zoster.
Shingles Risk Factors
A weakened and compromised immune system might wake up the virus. If you’ve had chickenpox, you’re more likely prone to get herpes zoster if you:
- Aged 50 or older
- Are undergoing a lot of stress and tension
- Have cancer, HIV, or another disease that lowers your body’s immunity
- Have had a serious physical injury
- Take long-term steroids or other medications that can weaken your immune system
But there are many incidents where people who get shingles don’t fit into any of these categories.
Shingles Complications
Shingles can have complications that last long after the rash is gone, this includes:
- Brain inflammation or facial paralysis if it affects certain nerves of the organs
- Eye problems and loss of vision if your rash was in or around your eye
- Pain that persists after the outbreak, called postherpetic neuralgia. It affects up to 20% of people who get shingles.
Is Herpes Zoster Contagious
You can spread the shingles (Herpes Zoster) virus to people who’ve never had chickenpox and haven’t been vaccinated.
You’re contagious until all of the sores have dried and crusted over. Until then, take precautions while being with pregnant women who may not have had chickenpox or the vaccine, people with weak immune systems, and newborns.
Can You Get Herpes Zoster More Than Once
It’s tough enough to have shingles once in your life. After all, it’s very painful to experience the red blister-like bumps that are characteristic symptoms of shingles, caused by a reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus.
You probably already know it’s rare to get chickenpox infection twice. But is there a possibility to get herpes zoster which can feel intensely painful, like a stabbing, burning sensation and can last for two to six weeks ..more than once?
Unfortunately, it is possible to get shingles or herpes zoster more than once (or more). Actually, among one in three people who experience shingles, women are at a higher risk of getting it a second time than men are. The longer you experience severe pain after shingles (called post-herpetic neuralgia), the more your chances of a shingles recurrence increases. Though it is very rare to get shingles more than twice.
Interestingly, if shingles come back, it may recur on another side of your body. If the rash first appeared on the left side of your torso, for example, it’s likely to come back on the right side the next time.
Shingles Vaccine
The FDA has approved two herpes zoster vaccines, Shingrix and Zostavax. Shingrix is newer and is preferred over Zostavax because it’s considered more than 90% effective. The CDC recommends that people aged 50 and older should get it, even if you’ve had shingles before. You should also get it even if you already had the Zostavax vaccine shot.
Shingles Diagnosis
Your doctor can diagnose shingles by analyzing your medical history and your symptoms and by doing some physical examinations. Small amounts of material from your blisters are sometimes sent for pathological tests.
Shingles Treatment
Antiviral drugs can help you recover faster and cut your risk of complications. They deliver the most effective result if you take them within three days of the start of a rash, so see your doctor as soon as possible. You’ll probably be administered one of these three medications to fight the virus:
- Acyclovir (Zovirax)
- Famciclovir (Famvir)
- Valacyclovir (Valtrex)
Treatments for herpes zoster pain can include:
- Anticonvulsant medicines like gabapentin (Neurontin)
- Antidepressants like amitriptyline
- Colloidal oatmeal baths
- Cool compresses
- Medicated lotion
- Numbing medications like lidocaine
- Over-the-counter drugs like acetaminophen or ibuprofen
- Prescription painkillers like codeine
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