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Shingles disease or herpes zoster

        The most common misconception about the shingles disease or herpes zoster is that it is a bacterial infection. Wrong! The shingles disease or herpes zoster is nothing more than a viral problem. Actually, almost all of the people in the world are infected by the varicella - zoster virus, but very few of them in fact know what that is all about and even fewer really develop shingles disease or herpes zoster. You might be wondering how can one get infected with a virus and not notice it. Well, the answer to that one is pretty simple: the varicella - zoster virus causes not only shingles disease or herpes zoster, but also chicken pox. Yes, that is right. If you have ever had chicken pox, then the virus is in your system. True, it takes some special conditions to reactivate it and it happens years and years after your childhood disease is over and done with, but that does not mean that you are exempt from presenting with shingles.

       It is true that there are some parts of the population that predisposed to the shingles disease, also known as herpes zoster. Usually, these categories of people have lowered immunity or have had chicken pox multiple times in their childhood. While the last one might seem unlikely, it can happen. Of course, the cases are as rare as they get, but they are not exactly a miracle of science.

        Basically, what happens is that the chicken pox does not actually go away, it just lays dormant for a while. A short while. In about two to four weeks from the original outbreak, the child will be sick again. This pattern can repeat itself for about six months. After that, the virus goes dormant for the next twenty years or so. Also, not only people who have suffered from multiple chicken pox outbreaks are predisposed to herpes zoster. If your child has had chicken pox before the age of one, even once, then he or she will most likely develop shingles disease sometime in the future. If you are over the age of sixty and start presenting with shingles symptoms, then you can be convinced that you do have shingles. People with low immunity are likely candidates for herpes zoster as well, due to their lack of defense against the virus. The low immunity can be caused by medication or by a previous disease.

        The shingles disease or herpes zoster symptoms depend on the stage that the disease is in, but they usually range from the annoying to the scary, never quite reaching life - threatening. After all, the only type of shingles that is truly dangerous and not just inconvenient is the one that develops near the eyes or the nose. Those cases are very rare, so there is very little to be worried about. Therefore, the shingles symptoms that occur normally are the following: headache, stomachache, nausea, chills. When the disease is fully developed, the rash shows up.

        It usually looks like a red band, not larger than ten centimeters and not wider than five centimeters. At first, on top of the rash, some pustules appear. They are filled with a clear liquid. If they are not broken, which they should not be, the liquid will turn cloudy and murky in about five days. It will continue to itch in all this time. Do not scratch it under any circumstances. If you do, you risk turning a completely harmless condition into a serious one if the virus enters your system internally.

        The pustules will break on their own, scab over and then heal. Unfortunately, most people are left scarred because of shingles. The treatment is pretty elementary and it includes some antiviral medication, usually substances called acyclovir, famciclovir or valacyclovir. It helps reduce the pain and speeds the healing process. Usually, the herpes zoster will disappear in two to three weeks and is unlikely to make another appearance.