Understanding Shingles

Symptoms for Shingles

If you've had chickenpox , the virus that caused it, the varicella-zoster virus, remains in your body.  It lies dormant in your nerves and can come back, even years later, as the painful, blistering rash of shingles.  An outbreak usually begins with a burning, itching, or tingling sensation on the back, chest, or around the rib cage or waist.  It is also common for the face or eye area  to be affected.  Some people report feeling feverish and weak during the early stages.  Usually within 48 to 72 hours, a red, blotchy rash develops on the affected area.  The rash erupts into small blisters that look like chickenpox.  The blisters seem to arrive in waves over a period of three to five days.  Blisters:  tend to be clustered in one specific area and after eruption the open sores take a week or two to crust over and are usually gone within another two weeks.  Pain:  the burning sensation in the rash is accompanied by shooting pains that may diminish as the blisters heal, but the pain can continue for months or years.  People report the sensation of anything brushing across the inflamed nerve endings of the skin can be almost unbearable.  Diagnosis:  because the rash is only on one side of the body and erupts along nerve paths that stem from the spine, shingles is usually easy to determine.  When the rash is accompanied by sharp, burning pain, in an older person who has had chickenpox, the diagnosis can be confirmed.  Treatment:  while there is no cure, antiviral medication, preferable given within 72 hours of the first sign of the rash, weakens the virus and its effects.  The outbreak still has to run its course, and pain relievers are often necessary.  

Prevention

Daily cleaning of the area helps prevent bacterial infections.  Prevention--the Shingles Vaccine:  the FDA has approved a vaccine to prevent shingles in people age 60 and older, even if they have had shingles.  The vaccine is designed to boost the immune system and protect older adults from getting the disease later on.  

Source:  National Institute of Health    

Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309

I Frequently Have A Patient With Shingles

What is shingles?

Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash, most often appearing as a single strip of blisters that wraps around one side of the torso.  It is caused by the varicella-zoster virus--the same virus that causes chickenpox.  After you've had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive in nerve tissue near your spinal cord and brain and years later can be reactivated.  It is not life-threatening, but can be very painful.  

Symptoms for shingles

Symptoms include pain, burning, numbness or tingling, with a red rash that begins a few days after the pain. Fluid-filled blisters break open and crust over and they can itch.  Sometimes these symptoms are accompanied by fever and chills, general achiness, headache and fatigue.  

Treatment for shingles

The condition is most common in people older than 50--some experts estimate that half the people who live to the age of 85 will experience shingles.  A weakened immune system increases the risk, and cancer treatments (radiation and chemotherapy) may trigger the condition.  

There's no cure for shingles, but prompt treatment with prescription antiviral drugs can speed healing and reduce the risk of complications.  If pain is severe, different medications may also be prescribed.  The chickenpox vaccine is recommended for adults who have not had chickenpox.  There is an approved vaccine for adults over the age of 50, the shingles vaccine, used as a preventive strategy, that has the potential to reduce the course and severity of the disease.  

Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Lupus and Increased Shingles Incidence

A study published in the recent issue of the journal Lupus reports that people with lupus had a 70% increased risk of developing shingles compared to participants without inflammatory disease.
The increase is likely due to cell-mediated immunity among people with lupus, and/or the immunosuppressive medications they take to control the disease.

More information, including discussion of the application of the shingles vaccine, and whether someone with shingles is contagious, can be found in:
Lupus 22:238-244


Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309