Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, called varicella. Shingles occurs in those who have had chicken pox in the past. Rarely those who had the chicken pox vaccine will develop shingles. The virus attacks your spinal nerve (electrical wire in your body), producing inflammation which subsequently causes severe pain and rash along the course and path of the said nerve. Shingles most often presents on either the right or left side or It is very common among the elderly and individuals whose immune system has been weakened by environmental and health factors, such as stress, injury, and side effects of some drugs. Shingles is more common among the females than in males, and it could happen anytime.  However, it is most common in the middle of, or later in, your life. It usually happens in the spring or fall. Cause of Shingles It has been determined that the virus causing chickenpox is the same as the one causing shingles and it is known as the varicella-zoster virus. After you contracted chickenpox and then got well, a small amount of the hibernates in your tissues—specifically in your nerve roots. When your resistance weakens due to older age, stress, or sickness the virus becomes active again and causes infection on one of your spinal nerves.

The incubation period of shingles is seven to twelve days. This means that before you will experience any lesion on your skin the virus has been residing in your body for around seven to twelve days. Rapid onset of pain and rash at the affected area are the first manifestations Other initial symptoms can include headache fever sensitivity to light flu-like symptoms The pain in the area supplied by the affected spinal nerve is more commonly observed After three to four days, this first batch of symptoms is followed by the appearance of a band of rash (reddening of the skin) which is described as itching, tingling, and painful. The rash could appear on any part of your body; however, it is one-sided either front or back, left or right. The rash will develop into blisters, then scab within ten days to two weeks, followed by clearing up after a few weeks. Sometimes the rash will leave a pigmented scar. These scars are usually replaced by normally colored skin in the following months. However, if the fluid containing vesicles are infected, ulceration and permanent scarring of the area may happen.  The combination of pain and the distinctive rash in the area supplied by the affected spinal nerve is the surest sign of shingles.

If you suffer from shingles, you need to have medical consultation and receive proper treatment and management. Delayed, insufficient, and wrong management will lead to some complications. Shingles Complications Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) Normally when shingles is adequately treated the pain will disappear after the infection clears. If proper treatment was delayed or not administered, there can be residual pain even if the whole course of the disease has passed. This pain could last for more than six months. There is higher risk for residual pain if you have been suffering from diabetes mellitus or HIV infection and you are aged 50 years and over. PHN chiefly affects the nerves going to the eyes and to the sides of your chest. The pain resulting from PHN is aptly described as severe, intractable, most persistent, sharp, exhausting, and shooting. The involved skin is so sensitive to touch. These pains may persist for months or years and are not always responsive to treatment. Disseminated zoster The infection can spread to other areas and adversely affect your heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, joints, and intestinal tract. If nerves are attacked by the infection, you will experience temporary weakness of the muscles supplied by them. Shingles can attack the nerves arising from your brain, otherwise known as the cranial nerves.

Diagnosis of Shingles The signs and symptoms of shingles are highly specific. It means that when your medical doctor sees the rash on one side of your body with severe pain on the said area, plus positive history of having chickenpox in the past, he could tell with much certainty if you have shingles. However, if there is doubt, he might request for herpes tests, consisting mainly of (1) examining the cells taken from the blister, (2) doing tissue culture, and (3) demonstration of antibodies in the serum. If your medical doctor believes that you have shingles, in spite of some doubt, he will immediately start giving you medications because early treatment is the cornerstone of managing the disease. He may still request for the laboratory test(s), however, to confirm his suspicion that indeed you are suffering from shingles. Treatment of Shingles Being a viral infection there is no definitive cure for shingles. However medications can be used to shorten the duration of the illness and to prevent the development of various complications. Antiviral drugs Acyclovir is the drug of choice for shingles. There is a 800 mg tablet that is given five times a day at interval of four hours, omitting the nighttime dose.

Factors that increase your risk for contracting Shingles are as follows: Affliction with chickenpox The first pre-requisite that you should have before contracting shingles is that you had a history of having chickenpox infection in your childhood or in your  earlier life. If you did not have chickenpox, but had the chicken pox vaccine then you have a very small risk. Affliction with chronic and malignant diseases If you have been suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus or HIV infection you are prone to contract shingles because these diseases weaken your immune system. In addition, if you have been suffering from malignant diseases such as malignant lymphomas and Hodgkin’s disease and blood and lymph diseases like granulocytic leukemia and lymphosarcoma, it is very likely you will suffer from shingles as these diseases decrease your immunologic response. Stresses and injuries If you overworked yourself, working beyond your sleeping and resting time, you will in effect decrease your resistance, and you will easily contract shingles. Stress—be it emotional or physical—will drain your bodily armor to fight shingles. If you had physical injuries and other forms of trauma, and you cannot have daily physical exercises, with limitation of physical movements, you will suffer from shingles.