- When does shingles develop?
- How to avoid infection with the herpes zoster virus?
- Shingles: Causes and Symptoms
The symptoms of shingles are an itchy and painful rash and severe neuralgia. Do you get shingles only once in your life? Is there a way to avoid this viral disease?
Recurrence of shinglesis possible, but it is rare. The responsible virusvaricella zoster(VZV) causes two diseases - these arechickenpoxandshingles . Chickenpox always develops when we first come into contact with it, and we usually develop it in childhood.
When does shingles develop?
After having smallpox, the VZV virus still remains in the body. It penetrates into the ganglia of the intervertebral and cranial nerves, where it remains latent for years, even for the rest of its life. It happens, however, that it "wakes up" under favorable circumstances, such as immunosuppression, climate change, weakness, chronic disease, taking immunosuppressive drugs. Then it attacks again, but it no longer causes chickenpox (we gain immunity after getting sick), only shingles. We cannot remove the VZV virus from the ganglia. We can only alleviate the course of chickenpox and shingles with antiviral drugs. In order for them to work, they must be given within 72 hours of the onset of the symptoms of these diseases. Only then the drugs will fulfill their task, i.e. they will inhibit the multiplication of the germ.
How to avoid infection with the herpes zoster virus?
VZV infection can be avoided. It is protected by the vaccine that is now given to infants. It should also be used by adults who have not had chickenpox, because it is difficult to go through in adulthood. Whoever had the common "windbreaker" may also have shingles. In contrast, people who have not been exposed to VZV develop the former, whether they have been in contact with herpes zoster or chickenpox. Shingles alone cannot be infected.
Shingles: Causes and Symptoms
Shingles is a viral disease caused by the herpes zoster virus. Shingles is most common in adulthood, but it is also sporadic in children. What are the symptoms of shingles, who is susceptible to shingles, and what causes the activation of the virus?
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