Medical App & Medical Advice with Hello Doctor

What do you know about shingles?

Patients describe the pain of shingles as severe and excruciating, and as a burning sensation. Once it begins, the pain can significantly impact both your health and your quality of life. What causes shingles, and who gets it?

Who is at risk for shingles?

Approximately 9 out of 10 adults are at risk of getting shingles! Anyone who has been exposed to the varicella roster virus at some point in their lives is at risk for developing shingles. It’s the same virus that gives us chickenpox, and it remains dormant in the body at the root of sensory nerves that supply the skin. If the virus is reactivated, it travels down the nerve to the skin where it causes a rash and, in some cases, pain. As one gets older, there’s a decline in your natural immunity which makes one more vulnerable to a flair-up.

Signs and symptoms

  1. The first symptoms of shingles usually include headache and tiredness, followed by itching or tingling in one area of the skin.
  2. A few days later, a chickenpox-like rash develops, starting with red patches that go on to form clusters of small blisters.
  3. The shingles rash is characteristic, limited to the area of the skin that is supplied by the specific nerve either on the right or left side of the body, front and back, but not crossing the midline.
  4. Your skin usually returns to normal over a period of two to four weeks, but it can leave scarring and permanent changes in pigmentation.
  5. Pain levels can vary in intensity from mild to severe, where even a light touch or mere breeze crossing the skin can be unbearable.

What triggers an attack?

While there is no way to predict what may trigger the reactivation of the virus, it’s important to maintain a strong immune system. Advancing age, certain illnesses or medical treatments can impact your immunity and make you more vulnerable to shingles. For someone with a vulnerable immune system, an attack of shingles can be triggered by intense stress, sunlight or infection.

Shingles can be prevented

There is some good news: a shingles-specific vaccine has been developed. Studies show that the vaccine can prevent the development of shingles in up to 7 out of 10 people who would have got it had they not been vaccinated. For those who do get shingles, the vaccination reduces both the severity and the pain. Speak to your doctor about a shingles-specific vaccine.
Source: Shingles by Bespoke Communications