Shingles

 

What is Shingles?

is a rash disease, often accompanied by severe pain, on one half of the body, which tends to encircle a limited area in a belt-like manner, with blisters on a reddened area and side-by-side blisters.

What Causes Shingles?

When we have chickenpox, the virus that causes it is still inside our bodies. When chickenpox heals, the virus passes from our skin to our nerves and enters the dormant stage at the nerve root.

If this virus returns to our skin at a time when the immune system is suppressed or when there is intense stress and sadness, it causes shingles instead of chickenpox.

Most people with shingles develop a painful, unilateral, blistering rash with blisters.

Is Shingles Contagious?

Yes, but you don’t infect anyone directly with shingles. You can spread the Varicella Zoster virus by contact with the watery wounds seen during shingles. If this virus is transmitted to someone who has not had chickenpox or has not been vaccinated against chickenpox, the person may become infected with chickenpox.

It Should Be Treated Early in the Treatment of Shingles

If you have shingles, starting prescription medications within 2 to 3 days after the rash appears will help you get over the disease more easily and in a shorter time.

A condition called postherpetic neuralgia, which is pain that can persist for months or years after the rash disappears, may develop . Early treatment reduces the risk of developing this condition.

Even if the rash has been present for more than 2 or 3 days, it is still important to see a doctor. In addition to long-term pain, shingles can cause other health problems. For example, when a shingles rash develops around the eyes, it can affect your vision. Treatment helps protect your eyesight.

People with shingles rarely develop pneumonia, hearing loss, or a disease that causes inflammation of brain tissue (encephalitis). It is also very important to detect their symptoms early so that you can get treatment.

You may hear the medical term “herpes zoster” from your doctor. This is the medical name for shingles.

The virus that causes shingles and chickenpox is called the varicella-zoster virus.

Millions of people get shingles every year. Many of these people are surprised to learn they have shingles because they do not remember having chickenpox. Chickenpox may have been very mild, or it may have been when he was too young to remember.

Anyone who has chickenpox can get shingles.

Even in those who have had chickenpox vaccine and have not had chickenpox, the risk of shingles is low, although mild and itchy rashes are usually observed in this group of patients, and severe pain is usually not observed.

Because shingles usually develops in people age 50 and older, the CDC recommends that every healthy adult age 50 and older receive the recombinant zoster vaccine. This vaccine is not yet applied in our country.

shingles is contagious

Getting the shingles vaccine can also greatly reduce your risk of infecting others. Even if you have shingles blisters, you can spread the virus to others.

You cannot infect anyone directly with shingles; however, someone who has not had chickenpox can get chickenpox from someone who has shingles. Anyone who has the chickenpox vaccine has a much lower risk of developing chickenpox.

Because you are contagious when you have shingles, it is extremely important to keep the rash covered and to avoid in people who are susceptible to the disease. These

• pregnant women
• Babies under 12 months
• Anyone who is particularly ill with cancer or AIDS
• Anyone who hasn’t had chickenpox

are individuals in the risk group for chickenpox infection. It is important to provide contact isolation with these people (do not come into direct contact with spills, the risk of contamination should be reduced by frequent hand washing)

You can contact us to make an examination appointment and to consult your questions.