Shingles 0r Herpes Zoster?
What is Shingles?
Shingles (herpes zoster shingles) is caused by the varicella zoster virus the same virus that causes chickenpox.
After becoming infected during childhood with chickenpox your body's natural defenses will destroy most of the virus but a few virus cells will manage hide in normal nerve cells at the base of the spine.
These dormant virus cells will remain hidden for many years until they become active again.
As they again become active they will re-infect the host.This resulting re-infection by the dormant cells is what causes Shingles to return again and again.
Common Names and Synonyms
- Shingles Disease
- Zoster
- Medical Shingles
- Varicella Virus
- Shingles Rash
- Varicella Zoster Virus
- Herpes Zoster Oticus
- Shingles Medical
- Herpes Zoster
Statistics
Each year over a million people in the US will contract shingles.
- As many as 20 percent of all Americans be infected with shingles during their lifetimes.
- Shingles is the second outbreak of chickenpox
- Other common names are shingles disease,
What are the symptoms?
Shingles symptoms will usually start as a rash or multiple red patches or blisters. Many times they will be confined to one side of the body.
The blisters usually heal within 4 weeks.
Many times shingles can cause a great deal of pain because the virus follows the nerves from the base of the spine where they have been hiding in a dormant state.
As the virus moves along the nerves it causes nerve damage that can be extremely painful. See the information on PHN.
What causes them?
Shingles are caused by the chickenpox virus or the varicella virus. These virus cells have lived in a dormant state in the body since the person had chickenpox as a child. It can remain dormant for more than 60 years before an outbreak. It is not know what triggers an outbreak of shingles. Some suspect that stress or a weakened immune system can be a trigger.
Who is at risk?
Anyone who has had chickenpox as a child that has a weakened immune system. It usually shows up after age 65 as the immune system weakens. It can also show up in AIDS patients and any others who have a disease that weakens their immune system.
Are Shingles Contagious?
No shingles themselves are not contagious you can only be infected as the result of being infected with chickenpox usually as a child. Someone who has never had chickenpox and has not been vaccinated for chicken pox can catch chicken pox from someone who in infected with Shingles
Can Shingles be cured?
No Shingles cannot be cured but there are prescription and natural treatments that can lessen the pain associated with shingles and shorten the length of time the episode lasts.
Are Effective Treatments Available?
Yes there are treatments that help control the length of an outbreak but there will always be the virus cells that are dormant in healthy nerve cells that can become activated and cause another outbreak.
It should be remembered that there is an effective chickenpox vaccine that should be given to all children before they become infected, thereby protecting them from shingles later in life.
Can Shingles be fatal?
Shingles are not known to be fatal however they can add to the problems in patients whose immune systems have been weakened by AIDS or cancer.
Can Shingles cause Cancer?
It is not believed that shingles can cause cancer but cancer can be responsible for weakening the immune system and triggering an outbreak of herpes.
Post-herpetic Neuralgia (PHN)
PHN is the name for the condition that sometimes accompanies shingles. As the shingles virus travels along the nerves to the skin's surface it destroys some of the nerve cells. This can cause an extremely painful condition that can last from a few weeks to many years because nerve cells regenerate very slowly.
In many cases the pain is so bad that medication is required, some cases require prescription drugs of the opioids family in order to relieve the pain.
Older patients are most likely to have PHN. Three out of four over the age of 70 who have shingles will also have PHN.
Pictures of Shingles?
This picture is very graphic but is shows how bad an episode of shingles can become, it should be noted that that most cases are not this severe.
Chickenpox and Shingles?
Chickenpox and shingles are caused by the same virus Varicella Zoster. The first infection usually occurs during childhood as Chicken pox. The virus remains dormant in the host's body until many years later and becomes active again, this form is shingles. It can recur multiple times.