What is Shingles - Understanding Herpes Zoster
ShinglesYou may have heard of someone who has come down with shingles and wondered, what is shingles? The medical name for shingles is Herpes Zoster and it is a form of the herpes virus that originates with the childhood disease, chickenpox.
After a child has a bout of chickenpox, the virus lays dormant in the body and can manifest itself years later as shingles. It is unclear what triggers the outbreak of shingles but it seems to be more prevalent in people with compromised immune systems. This includes the elderly and those with other illnesses.
The first sign of shingles is usually a rash, often on just one side of the body. The rash is very painful and is made up of raw blisters. Some people are hit with the pain first, before they even get the rash.
The rash can run around your body as it follows the flow of the nerve where the virus had been. In addition to the rash, other symptoms of shingles are upset stomach, headache, fever, chills and sensitivity around the rash area.
Shingles usually affects people that are in their 50s or 60s and can sometimes be brought on by stress. The rash area develops blisters that will begin to ooze fluid and crust over. Shingles is contagious while there are still new blisters developing but as soon as they begin to crust up the shingles virus is no longer contagious. Because the blisters can be in various stages, be sure that they are healed before being near children who may have not had chickenpox.
You can spread the virus itself to anyone who has not had chickenpox but they will not get shingles, they will get chickenpox. If you have already had chickenpox, you cannot catch shingles from another person.
If you treat shingles in the very early stages- within 72 hours of the first sign of the rash - it may respond to antiviral medicines. There are also pain medications that can be prescribed to help with the discomfort.
Troubled with shingles? Stop by Shingles Rash to learn more about shingles symptoms and treatment at http://www.itchyskinrash.net/shingles-disease.html