Herpes zoster

From ArticleWorld

A scourge of the elderly, herpes zoster or shingles, is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. The virus remains dormant in the bodies of those who have contracted chicken pox and our immune system works to suppress it. As we age, however, our immune systems deteriorate and so the virus can become active again.

Others vulnerable to the condition are patients who have been given immunosuppressant drugs, which as the name suggests, suppress the immune system leaving the body sensitive to infections. These drugs are given to organ transplant patients or in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Shingles is a contagious condition and can spread to those who have never been exposed to the virus or been inoculated against it.

Symptoms

Shingles is a very painful condition and the pain is what sufferers feel first. Whether it is a stinging or tingling sensation, a numbing or a throbbing, the pain comes in intense stabs. Lesions then appear which turn into blisters. The condition is contagious for as long as the blisters are wet, leading to chickenpox in people who have not been previously exposed to the virus. The blisters are distinctive in that they appear on one side of the body only. Because of this peculiarity, shingles is easily diagnosed.

Effects of the condition

Under normal circumstances, symptoms usually subside within three to five weeks after treatment. Serious complications may arise however. One of these is postherpetic neuralgia where pain continues for up to three months after treatment and partial facial paralysis, damage to the ears or even an acute inflammation of the brain may result.