Dermatology

Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. Although shingles can occur anywhere on your body, it most often appears as a single stripe of blisters that wraps around either the left or the right side of your torso. While it isn't a life-threatening condition, shingles can be very painful. Shingles typically resolves within 2-6 weeks

It may appear in children, yet it is most common among adults, especially old people.

herpes zoster, zona, belt of fire, zoster.

• Shingles and chickenpox are caused by the varicella-zoster virus. After you recover from chickenpox, the virus remains dormant in your nerve roots for years. On other cases, the virus may wake up and cause Shingles.
• It is not clear why the virus is triggered to wake up, reproduce and attack the nerve roots.

The signs and symptoms of shingles usually affect only a small section of one side of your body, which may include:

• Pain, burning, numbness or tingling.
• Sensitivity to touch.
• Fever and headache.
• Sensitivity to light.
• Rashes with blisters on the left or right of the body
• Rashes around one eye or on one side of the neck.
• Fluid-filled blisters.

• When have rashes or pain near your eye or it can cause permanent eye damage.
• When you are 60 years old or more; the older you are, the more complications you suffer.
• When your immune system is weak (due to cancer or medications for chronic diseases).
• When you have painful skin rash.

• Medical history.
• Clinical Diagnosis.
• A skin sample for lab test.

• Chickenpox infection.
• Old age.
• Radiation or chemotherapy.
• Diseases that weaken your immune system, such as HIV/AIDS and cancer, etc.
• Drugs designed to prevent rejection of transplanted organs.

• Postherpetic neuralgia: pain continues after blisters have cleared.
• Vision loss.
• Neurological problems, inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) and facial paralysis.
• Skin infections.
•  Ramsay Hunt syndrome.

There is currently no treatment for shingles, but some medications can ease symptoms and reduce complications:

• Medicines for pain.
• Antiviral medicines.

• Chickenpox vaccine can help reduce the risk of shingles.
• Guidelines to prevent viral infection:
• Cover skin rash with clothes.
• Do not share clothes with others.
• Do not touch infected skin.
• Avoid persons who did not have chickenpox, especially pregnant women, new born babies and those with immune deficiency.

• Is Shingles Contagious?
• Yes, someone who has never had chickenpox can develop chickenpox following exposure to someone with Shingles, or when someone touches the blisters.
• Is Shingles dangerous to fetus during pregnancy?
• No. However, you better consult your doctor for medication to ensure safety.

• Only old people get it: Over 50% of shingles cases are in people over the age of 60. Everyone is at risk for developing shingles, including children. Another factor that greatly increases the chances of shingles is having a weakened immune system.
• Shingles is the same as chickenpox: Though shingles and chickenpox are caused by the varicella-zoster virus, they are different.