Shingles – Get to Know the Symptoms & Causes to Treat the Disease
Posted by Admin | Posted in Shingles | Posted on 01-12-2009
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Shingles is caused by the Herpes zoster virus and is said to be a derivative of the chicken pox virus. Those who had chicken pox at a very early stage may develop shingles at a later stage in life. The chicken pox virus remains dormant and is not completely removed from the body resulting in it getting activated once again in the form of shingles.
The virus affects the nervous system and the nerves on one side of the body usually the chest or the abdomen gets affected. Shingles result in a patch of red rashes across the affected area and are normally accompanied by severe itching and burning sensation. The itching may cause blisters to appear across the area.
Symptoms Of Shingles
Once the dormant Herpes zoster virus gets activated the side of the body which gets affected will develop red rashes at first. This is the earliest symptom of shingles. This is quickly followed by the area becoming a red patch. The entire body does not become affected though there are instances when the virus instead of affecting the chest or the abdomen, affects the eye, face or the arms and the legs.
The patient first feels a tingling sensation on the area which first gets affected. This is quickly followed with the development of rashes on the area and the pain that accompanies this development can be quite severe. Some patients have complained of a burning sensation in the area affected by shingles. The symptoms of shingles are not like those of chicken pox though the virus belongs to the same family causing the disease. The onset of shingles may have other symptoms as well like headache, fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, memory loss and disorientation at times.
Causes Of Shingles
The primary causes of shingles are the role played by the Herpes Zoster virus which remains dormant in the system long after the patient had an attack of chicken pox in childhood. Chicken pox does not in most cases recur but the virus may get activated once again causing severe rash in the affected area. The actual causes of shingles is still being researched upon and a detailed attempt is being made by researchers to understand what needs to be done to eliminate chicken pox completely from the system once the disease has been effectively treated.
Like chicken pox, shingles normally happen once though recurrence cannot be completely ruled out. It has been found out that anyone with no history of chicken pox can have a bout of shingles. However, a person who already had chicken pox cannot be infected by a person who has shingles. However as a matter of abundant precaution and safety, children, pregnant women, persons with low immune to diseases, persons already on a measured dose of corticosteroids and those above the age of 60 are advised to remain away from a person who is under treatment for shingles.
Treatment of Shingles
There is no specific treatment of shingles. Most of the times, with adequate care and nursing of the affected area, the swelling subsides and so does the accompanying pain and itching. Shingles will disappear over a period of time depending upon the extent and the severity of the infection though doctors prescribe normal painkillers as ibuprofen and paracetamol related drugs.