![]() Several antiviral medicines, acyclovir (Zovirax), valacyclovir (Valtrex), and famciclovir (Famvir), are available to treat shingles. As people get older, they are more likely to develop post-herpetic neuralgia, and it is more likely to be severe. This pain is called post-herpetic neuralgia. For about one (1) person in five (5), severe pain can continue even after the rash clears up. Very rarely, shingles can lead to pneumonia, hearing problems, blindness, brain inflammation (encephalitis) or death. Anyone with shingles on the upper half of their face, no matter how mild, should seek medical care at once because of the risk of damage to the eye. Shingles is not usually dangerous to healthy individuals although it can cause great misery during an attack. What are the complications associated with shingles? The virus lies dormant in someone who has had chickenpox in the past. Other symptoms of shingles can include fever, headache, chills, and upset stomach. The rash usually clears within two (2) to four (4) weeks.īefore the rash develops, there is often pain, itching, or tingling in the area where the rash will develop. The rash starts as blisters (vesicles) that scab after seven (7) to ten (10) days. ![]() Shingles usually starts as a rash on one side of the face or body. ![]() Immunocompromised people may experience a longer duration of symptoms. A person is not infectious before blisters appear or if pain persists after the rash is gone (post-herpetic neuralgia). Once the rash has developed crusts, which can take 2-4 weeks, the person is no longer contagious. The virus is spread through direct contact with the rash or through breathing in virus particles that get mixed in the air. The blister fluid is filled with virus particles. A person with shingles can spread the virus when the rash is in the blister-phase. The person exposed to the virus would develop chickenpox, not shingles. However, the virus that causes chickenpox and shingles can be spread from a person with active shingles to a person who has never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine. A person cannot get shingles from a person that has shingles. How is shingles spread?Ī person must have already had chickenpox in the past to develop shingles. People who have medical conditions that keep the immune system from working properly, like cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections, or people who receive drugs that weaken the immune system, such as steroids and drugs given after organ transplantation, are also at greater risk to get shingles. The risk of getting shingles increases as a person gets older. However, shingles most commonly occurs in people 50 years old or older. Who gets shingles?Īnyone who has recovered from chickenpox may develop shingles, including children (intrauterine exposure and varicella disease when younger than 18 months). Usually, the virus does not cause any further problems however, the virus may re-emerge years later, causing shingles. After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus remains inactive in the body. Shingles, also called herpes zoster or zoster, is a painful skin rash caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. Herpes zóster - Medline Plus Información de Salud para Usted.All Health Care Professionals & Patient Safety. ![]()
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