Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is caused by a virus which makes the nerve root become inflamed. It usually occurs during the spring and autumn. Occasionally, it is a secondary result of certain diseases of the central nervous system in which the nerve roots are involved. Tumor, syphilis and other disorders are among the primary but infrequent causes.

There is also a relation between the virus of the chicken pox and shingles, and cases of chickenpox have been noted after someone has had contact with a patient with shingles, and vice versa.

Symptoms

The word zoster is derived from the Greek, meaning girdle. The condition is characterized by the appearance of clusters of large painful blisters running in a bandlike pattern on patches of reddened skin. The rash follows the course of one or more of the cutaneous nerves that transmit sensation to the skin. Generally, only one side of the body is involved, though it may affect nerves leading to the eyes or other vital structures. When the eye is affected, blisters form not only on the forehead and eyelids but sometimes even on the eyeball itself. This condition requires expert attention.

Shingles (derived from cingulum, meaning belt) is most apt to occur when body resistance is low. It is usually preceded by severe smarting pain in the involved area and a general feeling of indisposition, with perhaps some respiratory or digestive disturbances for three to four days before the rash appears. The red areas and water blisters that break out are similar to cold sores except that they appear along the entire course of the nerve affected. Every few days new crops appear.  The patches of blisters may persist for a week or two, then dry up and be covered with shingle-like scabs.

There can be skin sensitivity and aching pain along the course of the nerve a few days before the redness appears. Sometimes, there are fever, chills and weakness, but these disappear when the rash breaks out. With the outbreak of blisters, there is uncomfortable, burning pain. Even after the blisters are gone and the area is dry, the neuralgic nerve pain may persist for some time.

If the eye nerve is involved, a severe form of herpes zoster can develop, with such results as eye pain, tearing, and sensitivity to light, and even the formation of ulcers in the cornea.

The disease is usually over in 4 to 6 weeks and, as a rule, involves only one side of the body. When the blisters dry, they form shingle-like scabs which occasionally leave scars when they heal.

Complications

The only serious complication occurs when the eye is involved. Without treatment and careful management, corneal ulceration and blindness may result.

Prevention or lessening of impact

There is no known method of preventing shingles. The illness is mild in most cases, and presents few problems. The doctor will examine the patient to see if there are any undetected primary causes such as tumors or syphilis. And he will help the patient guard against secondary infection by careful local care and good skin hygiene. Such drugs are available for treatment is used to try to limit the spread of the infection and to make the patient as comfortable as possible.

What to Do

1. The patient with shingles need not stay in the hospital, but he should remain inactive for 7 to 14 days while the discomfort is severe.
2. An electric heating pad applied to the painful area will relieve some of the discomfort.
3. Compresses moistened with Burrow’s solution (5% aluminum acetate solution) may be applied to the affected skin areas for fifteen to twenty minutes per day. At other times, calamine lotion maybe applied sparingly.
4. Do not open the blisters that appear on the skin. If the skin breaks, the use of Bacitracin topical ointment will help to prevent infection.
5. It is best to consult a physician in all cases of shingles, but especially in severe cases. Pain maybe so severe that more relief will be needed than home treatments can give.
6. In persons above sixty years of age, the pain may persist for long periods of time. This possibility is reduced by the administration (under a physician’s supervision) of corticosteroid medication during the acute phase of the illness.

This information was collected from the New Illustrated Medical and Health Encyclopedia and Modern Medical Guide.