The Facts about Shingles
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "One out of every three people in the United States will develop shingles." Shingles is also known as herpes zoster or zoster.
The same virus which causes chickenpox also causes shingles. The varicella zoster virus remains dormant in your body after you suffer chickenpox. Medical experts are uncertain why the virus reactivates and causes shingles years later.
Your risk of shingles increases with age. Generally, men and women over 60 years of age develop shingles. This age group represents over 50 percent of shingles cases. However, some children are known to have shingles after they suffer from chickenpox. Also, you may only suffer from one case of shingles in your lifetime. But, there have been rare instances where patients will have shingles two or three times during their lifetime.
According to the CDC, symptoms of shingles include:
• Fever
• Upset stomach
• Chills
• Tingling, itching and pain of the skin
• A painful rash of blister-like sores (usually on one side of the body)
• Rash or sores are often on the torso or face
• Headache
You cannot transmit shingles from person-to-person contact. However, you can transmit shingles to a person who has never suffered chickenpox. This individual may develop chickenpox versus shingles. Chickenpox can be life-threatening to older patients.
If you are in the blister phases of shingles you are contagious and can pass the virus to others.
The CDC recommends the following tips if you have shingles blisters on your skin:
• Wash your hands to prevent the spread of the virus
• Keep the rash covered
• Do not touch or scratch the rash
Also, the CDC recommends shingle patients should avoid contact with others until their rash "crusts" or develops a type of scab. Those with shingles should also avoid contact with:
• Persons with compromised immune systems (recipients of an organ transplant, cancer patients undergoing chemo, HIV patients, etc.)
• Infants born with a low birth weight or prematurely
• Pregnant women who have never had the varicella vaccine or chickenpox
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
Add a CommentComments
There are no comments yet. Be the first one and get the conversation started!