Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is an infection that is viral in nature which is capable of precipitating a very painful rash. Shingles can cover a person's body from the midsection of her back all the way around to one side of her chest. Shingles is brought about by the same virus responsible for chicken pox. The virus can lay dormant in the nerves of a person for years before finally becoming active and causing shingles. There are some cases of shingles that develop serious complications but normally the condition can be handled with treatment.
Causes
A virus called the varicella-zoster virus is what causes shingles. It is one of the herpes viruses, related to those that can cause cold sores near the mouth and herpes in the genital area. Anyone who has had a case of the chicken pox can later on develop shingles, as the virus will gain access to the nervous system if it isn't completely eradicated during the chicken pox phase. In time, for reasons that are unknown, the dormant virus can reawaken and travel up the nerve endings to break out in the rash that characterizes shingles. There is a theory that an immune system that has been weakened by age or by other factors can trigger this problem.
Symptoms
One of the classic signs of shingles is a rash that develops on just one side of the body. This rash will be comprised of a number of blisters and usually forms in the middle of the person's back and makes its way to the breastbone. This rash can also occur around one eye or on a single side of the face or the neck. A pain that is burning or tingling in nature often precedes the rash by a few days. The pain can become intense once the rash develops and blisters will form that eventually break apart and have a crust form on them. Fever, headaches, and chills can be present and an upset stomach is not out of the question. Any touch to the affected area can result in severe pain for the person suffering from shingles; in some cases this pain makes doctors think that perhaps something like kidney stones is the culprit when it's not.
At Risk for Shingles
Someone who has been afflicted by chicken pox can someday develop shingles. Usually the disease will occur in adults that are over the age of 50 years old but it can happen to younger people as well. Someone that has shingles is able to transmit the ailment to a person who has never before had chicken pox. In such cases, the infected individual can come down with chicken pox and not shingles. Shingles can't be spread to a person with a healthy immune system that has already suffered from a bout of chickenpox. While the majority of people will have just one case of shingles, it is possible to have it more than once, but in such instances it will appear in a different part of the body.
Shingles Complications
The pain associated with shingles can remain even after the rash and the blisters have gone. This is known as postherpetic neuralgia and happens to 20 percent of those that have shingles. The skin can be extremely sensitive to the touch in such cases, with even the slightest contact resulting in strong pain. Other complications that can occur with shingles include brain inflammation known as encephalitis, hearing problems and blindness, but such problems are very rare. A more commonly seen trouble can happen when the blisters from shingles are not properly cared for, with bacterial infections as the result.
Treatments
A case of shingles will heal by itself in the majority of cases but treatment can help with the pain and lessen the chances of any complications. Antiviral medications such as Valtrex, Famvir, and Zovirax can shorten the length of time that symptoms persist and also ease the harshness of symptoms. Anti-inflammatory drugs can handle any swelling linked to shingles and pain relievers can reduce the pain. Prescription narcotics are occasionally utilized when the pain of shingles is extreme. Topical ointments can be employed to treat the blisters from the rash. Postherpetic neuralgia can be dealt with by using pain relievers and sometimes anti-depressants and anti-seizure drugs are used to relieve pain from this condition.
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