Shingles - Where Did The Chickenpox Cross The Road?

When my father called me from Canada to tell me he had a painful fight with shingles ...then not long after, an old high school friend (also from Canada) told me she had also gone through a bout with shingles, I wanted to know more and my search began. Here's what I found out.

Shingles generally affects the elderly, but occasionally occurs in children who have had chickenpox within the first year of their lives and in people with an immune deficiency.

What is the relationship to chickenpox?

Shingles is a painful rash caused by the Varicella-zoster virus (Herpes varicellae), which is the virus that causes chickenpox.

"For reasons that are not clear, after a chickenpox infection, the varicella virus remains in our bodies forever." states Dr. Paul on the Children's Health And Wellness website.

After the chickenpox virus has been contracted, it travels from the skin along the nerve paths to the roots of the nerves where it becomes inactive. The chickenpox virus then "hibernates".

Shingles occurs in people who have had chickenpox. It is a reactivation of the dormant virus and often occurs many years after the initial chicken pox infection.

When the virus is reactivated, it travels via the nerve paths to the skin. It is not known what factors trigger a reactivation of the virus. Some health websites indicate the virus can be triggered by immune-suppressing medicines, emotional stress, with another illness (such as cancer), or after major surgery. One site mentions that advancing age and chronic use of cortisone-type drugs may trigger shingles. Also, shingles can be a sign of immunodeficiency, caused by HIV or chemotherapy, for example.

"In most cases, however, a cause for the reactivation of the virus is never found. The herpes virus that causes shingles and chicken pox is not the same as the herpes virus that causes genital herpes (which can be sexually transmitted) and herpes mouth sores. Shingles is medically termed Herpes zoster," according to MedicineNet.

What are the signs for shingles?

The first sign of shingles is often burning, sharp pain, tingling, or numbness in or under your skin on one side of your body or face. The most common site is the back or upper abdomen. You may have severe itching or aching. You also may feel tired and ill with fever, chills, headache, and upset stomach.

Before a rash is visible, you may notice several days to a week of burning pain and sensitive skin. Shingles start as small blisters on a red base, with new blisters continuing to form for 3-5 days. The blisters follow the path of individual nerves that comes out of the spinal cord (called dermatomal pattern). The entire path of the nerve may be involved or there may be areas with blisters and areas without blisters. Generally, only one nerve level is involved. In a rare case, more than one nerve will be involved. Eventually, the blisters pop and the area starts to ooze. The area will then crust over and heal. The whole process may take 3-4 weeks from start to finish. On occasion, the pain will be present but the blisters may never appear.

Shingles is contagious and may itself cause chickenpox in people who have never had it, as long as there are new blisters forming and old blisters healing. However, contact with a person with shingles or chickenpox cannot cause shingles. Shingles is not an airborne virus. It is passed by touch or via contact with fluid from the infected area.

If you think you have shingles, see your health care professional and avoid contact with infants, children, pregnant women, and adults who have never had chickenpox or the chickenpox shot until your blisters are completely dry.

Generally, shingles heal well and problems are few. However, on occasion, the blisters can become infected with a bacteria causing cellulitis, a bacterial infection of the skin. If this occurs, the area will become reddened, warm, firm, and tender. You might notice red streaks forming around the wound. If you notice any of these symptoms, contact your health care professional.

A more worrisome complication occurs when shingles affect the face, specifically the forehead and nose. In these cases, it is possible, although not likely, that shingles can affect the eye leading to loss of vision. If you have shingles on your forehead or nose, your eyes should be evaluated by a health care professional.

The most common complication of shingles is postherpetic neuralgia. This occurs when the pain associated with shingles persists beyond one month, even after the rash is gone. It is a result of irritation of the nerves of sensation by the virus. The pain can be severe and debilitating and occurs primarily in persons over the age of 50.

I've heard some therapeutic grade essential oils are quite effective for dealing with the pain and discomfort of shingles (contact me for info and a high quality scource) and of course, your health care professional will be able to provide you with medications should you require them.


Sources:

University of Michigan Health System - Shingles (Herpes Zoster)
Children's Health And Wellness - Zoster(Shingles) And Chicken Pox
MedicineNet - Shingles (Herpes Zoster)
Yahoo! Health - Varicella virus (Chickenpox) vaccine