Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a skin condition wherein painful rashes are developed on one side of the body. This is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. The virus is stored in the body after chickenpox, and becomes reactivated again after years. This is common to adults aged 60 and above since they have a lower immunity than those who are younger.
Shingles can start without the visual manifestation. You may feel pain on one part of your body, and only see the rashes after days. The rashes can develop into blisters with fluid inside. After some days, the blisters can pop, oozing out the fluid and making the virus more prone to be passed to other people. As the wounds develop crusts or scabs, you can experience less pain until you are healed.
Anyone who has already had chickenpox is at risk at developing shingles. This means that shingles in itself can be passed from one person to another. However, the virus can affect people who haven't had chickenpox yet. If a person who has shingles come in contact with a person who has not had chickenpox yet, he or she can catch the virus and develop chickenpox instead of shingles. However, after the chickenpox gets healed, they will then be at risk of developing shingles.
Shingles commonly manifest on the side of the trunk, near the waistline of a person. This area is called the dermatome. The rashes usually take a web-like pattern, caused by how the virus travels, which is from one nerve to another. As a result, the rashes look striped and web-like. A person who has shingles can experience mild and severe pain, making it very uncomfortable to move.
Fortunately, there is now a vaccine which can prevent the development of shingles in a person. Zostavax is a Food and Drug Administration-approved drug which can be administered to anyone who is at risk at developing shingles. Although the drug is not a hundred percent effective in preventing the virus from coming back and causing distress, it significantly reduces the severity of the pain and of the other symptoms associated with it.
And once you develop the condition, you can reduce the duration and the severity of it by taking drugs which suppress the virus. Immediately seek the advice of your doctor when you start to develop the symptoms of the condition.
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