What to know if you're at risk
| Health tips: Shingles | | | Dear Reader, You can develop shingles (herpes zoster) if you’ve previously had chickenpox (varicella). After you’ve had chickenpox, the virus may remain dormant within your nerve cells. It can re-emerge years later as shingles, a localized infection.
Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash that can occur anywhere on your body. It typically looks like a single stripe of blisters that wraps around the left side or the right side of your torso. Shingles isn't life threatening, but it can be very painful. For some people, shingles pain continues long after the blisters have cleared, a condition known as postherpetic neuralgia.
Symptoms. Shingles symptoms usually affect only a small section on one side of your body. These symptoms may include: Pain, burning, tingling or itching in a localized area. A red rash characterized by small, fluid-filled blisters. Fever, headache and fatigue. | | Treatment. Early treatment of shingles is important. Prompt intervention can shorten the duration of infection and possibly decrease your risk of persistent pain due to neuralgia. Your doctor will probably take a three-pronged treatment approach: High doses of an antiviral drug to reduce the duration and severity of symptoms. An anti-inflammatory drug to ease inflammation. Pain relievers to control pain. Your doctor may also recommend that you take these self-care steps: Apply a soothing calamine-type lotion. Wash the blisters twice a day with regular soap and water, but don’t bandage them. To help relieve the pain, apply cool, wet compresses of water or water mixed with white vinegar — 1 ounce vinegar to 32 ounces water — to the blisters. Do this one to three times a day. Soak in a tub of lukewarm water, with or without an oat-bath additive (Aveeno). Apply a soothing calamine-type lotion. | Prevention. The shingles vaccine Shingrix plays an important role in reducing your risk of shingles and subsequent postherpetic neuralgia. Shingrix is approved and recommended for people age 50 and older, whether they've had shingles or not. People who've had the Zostavax vaccine in the past or don't know whether they've had chickenpox may also receive the Shingrix vaccine.
Shingrix is also recommended for people who are 19 years of age and older who have weakened immune systems due to disease or medication. |
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