Shingles Disease Causes, Symptoms And Treatment

What is shingles disease?


Shingles is an inflammation of the skin by a virus. Because of the infection you get blisters on your skin.
Shingles is usually not serious, but painful. It often takes a few weeks before it is over. In older people, shingles can last longer.

Anyone can get shingles, but the disease is most common in people with low resistance and in people over sixty years.
The medical term for shingles is herpes zoster.

What are the signs and symptoms of shingles disease?


Shingles starts with a severe pain that burning or stinging. You can have a fever and you feel sick. Only after a few days to emerge on the painful area(s) small groups of vesicles. The skin underneath is red. The blisters are the size of a match head and itch terribly.

After five to ten days to dry the blisters. There are scabs on. If the scabs fall off, there may be small scars left behind.

Shingles disease can occur anywhere on the body, but usually sit the blisters in the Center. The result is always but on one side of the body. Vesicles in the face can affect the facial nerve. This causes paralysis in the face. These go spontaneously.

Shingles around or in one eye also occurs. This should take you directly to an ophthalmologist.

Shingles Disease Causes, Symptoms And Treatment


How do you get shingles disease?


Causes of shingles
Shingles disease is caused by a virus: the varicella zoster virus. This virus also causes chicken pox.

Someone with chickenpox makes antibodies against the virus. The virus pulls itself back then, but it remains in the body. Here it can sit for years without you. Some adults it becomes suddenly active again. For example by violent emotions, tensions or reduced resistance. You will then again not chicken pox, but shingles.

Shingles mostly plays on if the resistance is low, for example, by disease or by drugs that weaken the immune system. Anyone can get shingles more than once, but that rarely happens.

Shingles is contagious to people who never have had chickenpox. They get chickenpox if they are infected.
Shingles is only contagious in the time you have blisters. Are there any special considerations as long as you have vesicles?
  1. Does your child have shingles, then your child may just go to school or daycare. Warns you the leadership of school or nursery.
  2. Do you have shingles, you can also just go to your work or to school. Just make sure that you have no contact with babies. Chicken pox are dangerous for babies.
Is someone infected, then he realizes that only after ten days to three weeks.

What is the treatment for shingles disease?


Shingles is almost always taken over again. If the scabs have fallen off, the illness is over. Most people heal without scarring.

If you have shingles disease to the doctor?
  1. You have shingles in or around your eye.
  2. The shingles is in your face.
  3. You have a lot of pain.
  4. You are older than fifty years.
  5. You have a low resistance, for example because you are using prednisone.
The doctor may give you tablets that inhibit the virus. You can also receive pain medication as needed. In very severe shingles, the doctor may also give an injection of antiviral drugs. The itching you get a powder or ointment.

For the treatment of shingles disease in or around the eye, the doctor refers you to an ophthalmologist. You get eye drops, ointment, tablets, or a drip. Usually the eye heals completely. Some people remain impaired or keep pain around the eye.

Do you want to prevent shingles? Then you can get a vaccination from your family doctor. This vaccination is not in the basic health insurance.

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